In a September 29, 2016 Stack's Bowers blog
article, Dave Bowers examines historical trends in collecting and
one ever-popular piece, the Beck’s Public Baths Hard Times Token.
Here's an excerpt. -Editor
In numismatics some coins, tokens, medals, and paper money
issues are popular for one generation and generally ignored by
another. These situations, of which there are many, are
interesting to contemplate.
In the year 1906 many more people collected encased postage
stamps than collected Morgan silver dollars by date and mintmark.
Today in 2016, or 110 years later, hundreds of thousands of
enthusiasts seek Morgan silver dollars from the Carson City, New
Orleans, and San Francisco mints, but the number of specialists
seeking encased postage stamps aggressively is probably no more
than a few dozen.
Conversely, in 1988 Gem Mint State silver commemorative coins
1892 to 1954, consisting of 142 different dates and mintmarks of
half dollars plus the 1893 Isabella quarter and 1900 Lafayette
dollar were hot as firecrackers. Today in 2016 they are in much
lower demand, and many MS-65 coins can be purchased for a third
or less of the price they brought then.
There are some series that are evergreen in popularity. In
over 60 years of being a key factor in the rare coin market plus
studying numismatic history back to the 18th century (William
Bentley, D.D. is the earliest systematic collector of American
coins I have located; he obtained Vermont, Connecticut, and other
coins as they were issued in the 1780s), I have identified quite
a few specialties that have been everlastingly popular. One is
copper cents 1793 to 1857. There has never been a time in which a
lovely Fine or Very Fine (or whatever grade) 1793 cent has failed
to attract enthusiasm. The same thing can be said for colonial
and related coins. Such coins as the 1652 Pine Tree shilling have
always been in strong demand. The same is true for colonial
currency. Ditto for Civil War tokens (the first specialized
articles in the first several issues of the American Journal
of Numismatics, which made its debut in May 1866, were on
Civil War tokens).
Beck's Public Baths
The same thing can be said for Hard Times tokens, generally
classified as cent-size tokens issued from 1832 to 1844. These
were popular in the 1850s, and some were first listed in a book
in 1858 (by Charles I. Bushnell).
... one of the most famous and most desired Hard Times
tokens—the copper issued by Beck's Public Baths. In my
Guide Book of Hard Times Tokens (Whitman, 2014, now in its
second large printing), I listed this as variety W-VA-040. It is
also listed as Low-275 and by Russell Rulau in the Standard
Catalog of U.S. Tokens 1700-1900 as HTT-441. I estimate the
number known as in the 100 range, most of which show some wear.
Very Fine and Extremely Fine are typical grades. The finest known
is illustrated, the beautiful Mint State coin with most original
red color, that I purchased as Lot 3285 in the Dice-Hicks
Collection sale, July 2008, for $16,100. The price might seem to
be a bit unusual, but if it were a 1794 copper cent of comparable
rarity and grade, it would likely sell for 10 times the
price!
I hasten to say that most Hard Times tokens sell for much
less, and beautiful Mint State examples of many varieties can be
purchased for a few hundred dollars or less. Some of these are
among the most interesting, such as the anti-Jackson tokens of
1837 featuring a jackass and other punny motifs. Back to
Beck's:
In the period from about 1832 to 1844, when Charles Beck
distributed his Beck's Public Baths tokens in Richmond,
Virginia, bathing was an occasional experience at best. Houses
did not have indoor plumbing, and for most people in the city the
closest thing to a bath was wiping with a soapy wet cloth. Across
the country, some academies and boarding schools made it an
offense to bathe in the colder months, the practice being deemed
unhealthy.
For those who desired to bathe, public baths were operated in
most of the larger cities. If you read the history of the
(inexpensive) Hard Times tokens issued by W.A. Handy of
Providence, Rhode Island, you will learn that City Baths in 1834
occupied the premises earlier used by Handy for his tailoring and
clothing business.
Records show that in 1832, Charles Beck was a confectioner and
the operator of a bathing facility. The baths were in operation
until at least 1844. These tokens, about the size of a quarter
dollar, may have circulated locally as currency, or, more likely,
they were used as admission checks. The dies are by James Bale or
Bale & Smith of New York City.
With its somewhat risqué depiction of a nude woman, this token
is a favorite today, just as it was with collectors of the
mid-19th century when J. Ledyard Hodge sought to obtain some for
his collector friends in Philadelphia.
If you would like to learn more about tokens in general, also
buy or borrow a copy of The 100 Greatest Medals and
Tokens, an award-winning book that Kathryn Jaeger and I did
for Whitman a few years ago and which is still in print. Also
check the Token and Medal Society's website. I was among the
founders of this great group more than 50 years ago.
To read the complete article, see:
Popular for Over 150 Years! The Beck’s Public Baths Token
(www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=2270)
THE BOOK BAZARRE
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more. Add it to your library or give it as a holiday gift for
$29.95—online at
Whitman.com , or call 1-800-546-2995.
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
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