Description: 1837 Feuchtwanger Cent Token, NY HT-268(5G) - NGC AU55 - Exceptional Choice AU! PQ+ No Issues & Superb Eye Appeal! "German Silver" Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger was a German chemist who was born in 1805 and immigrated to the US in 1829, settling in New York City. There he opened the first German pharmacy in the city, importing medicines from his native land. Feuchtwanger assembled many intriguing collections, such as rare minerals, gemstones, fossils, coals, ores, and Indian artifacts. These he exhibited in his shop along with other curiosities like preserved reptiles, offering them for sale. He published two popular references, Treatise on Gems (1838), and Elements of Mineralogy (1839). In 1829, he debuted his “Feuchtwanger Composition” which became known as German silver. It is a tarnishable alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel which resembles silver. He lobbied for the government to replace the cumbersome large cents of the time, supplying each member of congress with a specimen of his handsome 1C piece. It featured an eagle grappling a snake on its obverse. He argued that his composition was more durable than copper coins, which tend to corrode and turn green. At 18.5mm, they are the size of a dime, and significantly smaller than 27.5mm large cents. Just like today, during that time, the mint was concerned about the fact that manufacturing costs of producing a one cent coin exceeded its value. His composition was in fact less expensive than pure copper. While his proposal was turned down by mint director Robert M. Patterson in 1838, Feuchtwanger did obtain permission to mint them for circulation in the wake of the panic of 1837. By then the public had begun hoarding coinage all the way down to the smallest denominations because of widespread concern that the Federal Reserve would collapse. This became known by numismatists as the hard times era. Between 1837 and 1844, over a million pieces flowed out of his pharmacy in New York City, and the public accepted them with great enthusiasm. His tokens have remained popular with collectors today, and his coinage earned the number 4 slot in Jaeger and Bowers’ 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens. In addition to the one cent tokens, Feuchtwanger also issued a small number of three cent pieces of the same composition. In 1864, Feuchtwanger again made three cent tokens, but they were never released to the public. His one cent tokens, however, remained in circulation for decades, and circulated up to and during the Civil War. Since many of the tokens circulated heavily, they are hard to attain in higher grades. Mint state examples can bring $500 or more, while circulated ones might be had for under $200. Some of the dies and combinations are rare and difficult to obtain in high grade. Grading can sometimes be tricky because the feathers on the eagle’s body don’t usually come fully struck due to the token’s high relief. Historical Article Excerpt Provided by NGC. Please Check out Our Web Site : antebellumnumismatics. com where you can see many new purchases and other listings. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about any listings you see. *Combined Shipping Available ON ALL Items, Request an Invoice or we will send you one after one business day. Items over 16 oz. or $750 in value must be shipped Priority Mail with Signature Confirmation in order to be Fully Insured. Payment on all items is expected within Five Business Days to ensure a timely delivery. Please contact us directly if you need more than Five Business Days to send payment. BUYER is Responsible for ANY Import Fees or Customs, No Exceptions! ALL Precious Metals tested with our own Sigma Metalytics Precious Metal Tester and guaranteed genuine. 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And many other interesting items like shipwreck recovered coins and Ancient coins. Feedback is crucial to us here on EBAY and we kindly ask you to contact us if there are any unforeseen issues before leaving negative feedback and we will be happy to resolve them with you. We pride ourselves on having outstanding customer service. Shipping is by USPS Ground Advantage/First Class unless package is Fragile or Over $750. All packages over $750 will be sent Priority Mail with Signature in order to be fully insured. Our Insurance Provider is Ship&Insure Inc. All orders will be filled in one business day and shipped out either same business day or the following. International Shipping is through Ebay's Global Shipping Program by default, which may get expensive in some foreign countries. International Shipping is also through USPS First Class International Package Service or Priority Mail depending on the value. 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Price: 445 USD
Location: Harvest, Alabama
End Time: 2024-10-25T00:21:38.000Z
Shipping Cost: 3.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Circulated/Uncirculated: Uncirculated
Composition: Silver
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States