Private Tokens After The Confederation

Theatre At new York Token
Date
Description
Grade
Value
Undated
Circa 1797, Theatre at New York Token
EF
$9,000
"Obverse: undated, view of THE THEATRE AT NEW YORK (Park Theater), with legend around. AMERICA in exergue, JACOBS in small letters below. Reverse: MAY COMMERCE FLOURISH around, two sailing ships in distance, dock with cornucopia spilling out a cask, package, and flora. Anchor and four-paneled square at right.

Breen had earlier estimated 10-12 pieces known, but in February 1993 Don Scarinci presented a census of 13 pieces in the Colonial Newsletter. The legendary John J. Ford Collection (Stack's, Volume II, 5/2004, lots 327-328) had two of the 13 known examples of this early and extremely rare penny token. (The piece is often referred to as a penny because of its size and the promissory note on the edge.) In the Ford catalog, the Stack's cataloger wrote:

"There is little dispute about the origin and purpose of the Theatre at New York token any longer. John Kleeberg showed definitively in his 1994 ANS study 'The Theatre at New York' that the token was one of the so-called Conder series popular in Britain in the 1790's and portrays on its front the Park Theater which opened in New York City on Monday, January 29, 1798 with a performance of 'As You Like It.'

"The token is one of the nicest of the Conder series, being struck on a wide and thick flan. Most known are in higher grades with good color and reflective fields. They were clearly not admission tickets, as Kleeberg showed, but rather, were made for collectors, accounting for their present condition when found. The reverse die failed fairly early on it its life and most specimens known show varying stages of buckling ... ."

The edge purportedly reads I PROMISE TO PAY ON DEMAND THE BEARER ONE PENNY X. Kleeberg has shown that several catalogers, including Breen, mistranscribed the I on the edge as a WE (although Dalton & Hamer state it correctly).

Peter Skidmore struck the The Theatre at New York penny tokens in London from dies engraved by Benjamin Jacob, who issued several tokens including one for himself in 1798 where he was identified as an "AUCTIONEER, IRONMONGER & c" at Welsh Cross in Birmingham. That token and the New York Theatre token were made with hand-cut letters rather than punches (witness the slightly different style of the Rs in THEATRE, YORK, and AMERICA). Jacob also did an entire series of halfpence tokens depicting London churches and gates based on copperplate engravings. The use of the final S on the New York Theatre token may signify the possessive Jacob's.

Jacob did most of his diemaking work, including the Theatre token and the London church series, for Skidmore, who manufactured the tokens at his metalwork factory. Skidmore and his father were partners from 1797 through 1809 in Skidmore and Son, makers of stove grates. Likely to capitalize on the late-19th century collector craze for Conder tokens (which were first produced for much the same purpose as the later Civil War merchant tokens), the son expanded into tokens, produced in their factory at 15, Coppice Row, Clerkenwell, and sold at the store at 123 High Holborn Street, London. Rulau comments that "there is no indication that these pieces ever had any connection with the theater; the memoirs of William Dunlap, the manager at the time, do not mention them." Jacob apparently copied his building engravings from printed materials: The view of the Park Theater comes from a 1797 New York City directory.

Most known specimens are proofs. This piece shows no signs of buckling, but as mentioned it has some diecutter's marks on each side that provide pedigree identifiers.

Ex: 2007 Milwaukee Signature Auction (Heritage, 8/2007), lot 1523, which realized $32,200. (#90658)"

Source: Heritage Coin Auctions
Theatre at New York Token circa 1797
Post-Colonial Coin Home



Post-Colonial Issues

Speculative Issues, Tokens, and Patterns

Nova Constellatio Coppers 1783-1786
Confederatio Coppers 1785-1786

Speculative Patterns

Immunis Columbia 1786

Coinage Of the States

New Hampshire 1776
Massachusetts 1787-1788
Connecticut 1785
Connecticut 1786
Connecticut 1787
Connecticut 1788

New York and Related Issues
Brasher Doubloons (Gold))
Copper Coinage 1786-1787

Imitation British
Georgivs/Britannia
Halfpennys Machin Mills 1786-1789
Nova Eborac Coinage For New York
New Jersey 1786
New Jersey 1787
New Jersey 1788
Vermont 1785_1787

Private Tokens After The Confederation

North American Tokens
Bar Coppers
Auctori Plebis Tokens
Auctori Plebis Hispaniola
Mott Store Card
Standish Berry Threepence
Albany Church Pennys
Kentucky Tokens
Franklin Press Tokens
Talbot Allum Lee Cents
Myddelton Tokens
Copper Company Of Upper Canada Tokens
Castorland and Medals
Theatre at New York Tokens
New Spain (Texas) Jola Tokens
North West Company Tokens

Washington Pieces

Georgivs Triumpho Tokens
Washington Portrait Pieces 1783
Washington Portrait Pieces 1791
Washington Hancock Pattern Cent 1792
Washington Getz Patterns
Liberty and Security Tokens
North Whales Halfpennies
Success Medals

Contract Issues and Patterns


Continental Currency 1776
Nova Constellatio Patterns 1783
Fugio Cents 1787

Proposed Coinage

Silver Center Cent 1792
Birch Cent 1792
Half Disme 1792
Disme 1792
Quarter Dollar 1792
The Libertas Americana Medal

United States Coin Guides

Colonial Coin Guides  1615-1767

U.S. Type Coins Guides 1792-Present

U.S. Gold Coin Guides



Get our toolbar!
Iphone and Android coin applications by CoinHelp! Click Here
CoinHELP!
Check Our Facebook CoinHELP! Fan Page
Have numismatic question click here