Collection Highlights
Wooden leg of Gouverneur Morris
ca. 1780
1954.148
Oak, leather, metal
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Museum Collections
Luce Center
Hard Times token: Half cent worth of Pure Copper
Object name
Hard Times token: Half cent worth of Pure Copper
Date
1837
Medium
Copper
Dimensions
Overall: 7/8 in. ( 2.2 cm )
Description
Token; copper; depiction of a bald eagle with a shield on its breast on obverse, ring of garland on reverse; obverse "U.S. STANDARD WEIGHT & VALUE / 1837" reverse "HALF / CENT / OF / PURE COPPER"
Object Number
INV.13742
Gallery Label
n 1837 and again in 1857, financial crises caused loss of confidence in paper money and widespread redemption of currency in coin. Banks were soon forced to suspend specie payments, and tokens and fractional notes had to serve as smaller change. In 1857, the United States eliminated the half cent.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
