In numismatics some coins, tokens, medals, and paper moneyissues are popular for one generation and generally ignored byanother. These situations, of which there are many, areinteresting to contemplate.

In the year 1906 many more people collected encased postagestamps than collected Morgan silver dollars by date and mintmark.Today in 2016, or 110 years later, hundreds of thousands ofenthusiasts seek Morgan silver dollars from the Carson City, NewOrleans, and San Francisco mints, but the number of specialistsseeking encased postage stamps aggressively is probably no morethan a few dozen.

Conversely, in 1988 Gem Mint State silver commemorative coins1892 to 1954, consisting of 142 different dates and mintmarks ofhalf dollars plus the 1893 Isabella quarter and 1900 Lafayettedollar were hot as firecrackers. Today in 2016 they are in muchlower demand, and many MS-65 coins can be purchased for a thirdor less of the price they brought then.

There are some series that are evergreen in popularity. Inover 60 years of being a key factor in the rare coin market plusstudying numismatic history back to the 18th century (WilliamBentley, D.D. is the earliest systematic collector of Americancoins I have located; he obtained Vermont, Connecticut, and othercoins as they were issued in the 1780s), I have identified quitea few specialties that have been everlastingly popular. One iscopper cents 1793 to 1857. There has never been a time in which alovely Fine or Very Fine (or whatever grade) 1793 cent has failedto attract enthusiasm. The same thing can be said for colonialand related coins. Such coins as the 1652 Pine Tree shilling havealways been in strong demand. The same is true for colonialcurrency. Ditto for Civil War tokens (the first specializedarticles in the first several issues of the American Journalof Numismatics, which made its debut in May 1866, were onCivil War tokens).

Beck's Public Baths
The same thing can be said for Hard Times tokens, generallyclassified as cent-size tokens issued from 1832 to 1844. Thesewere popular in the 1850s, and some were first listed in a bookin 1858 (by Charles I. Bushnell).

... one of the most famous and most desired Hard Timestokens-the copper issued by Beck's Public Baths. In myGuide Book of Hard Times Tokens (Whitman, 2014, now in itssecond large printing), I listed this as variety W-VA-040. It isalso listed as Low-275 and by Russell Rulau in the StandardCatalog of U.S. Tokens 1700-1900 as HTT-441. I estimate thenumber known as in the 100 range, most of which show some wear.Very Fine and Extremely Fine are typical grades. The finest knownis illustrated, the beautiful Mint State coin with most originalred color, that I purchased as Lot 3285 in the Dice-HicksCollection sale, July 2008, for $16,100. The price might seem tobe a bit unusual, but if it were a 1794 copper cent of comparablerarity and grade, it would likely sell for 10 times theprice!

I hasten to say that most Hard Times tokens sell for muchless, and beautiful Mint State examples of many varieties can bepurchased for a few hundred dollars or less. Some of these areamong the most interesting, such as the anti-Jackson tokens of1837 featuring a jackass and other punny motifs. Back toBeck's:

In the period from about 1832 to 1844, when Charles Beckdistributed his Beck's Public Baths tokens in Richmond,Virginia, bathing was an occasional experience at best. Housesdid not have indoor plumbing, and for most people in the city theclosest thing to a bath was wiping with a soapy wet cloth. Acrossthe country, some academies and boarding schools made it anoffense to bathe in the colder months, the practice being deemedunhealthy.

For those who desired to bathe, public baths were operated inmost of the larger cities. If you read the history of the(inexpensive) Hard Times tokens issued by W.A. Handy ofProvidence, Rhode Island, you will learn that City Baths in 1834occupied the premises earlier used by Handy for his tailoring andclothing business.

Records show that in 1832, Charles Beck was a confectioner andthe operator of a bathing facility. The baths were in operationuntil at least 1844. These tokens, about the size of a quarterdollar, may have circulated locally as currency, or, more likely,they were used as admission checks. The dies are by James Bale orBale & Smith of New York City.

With its somewhat risqué depiction of a nude woman, this tokenis a favorite today, just as it was with collectors of themid-19th century when J. Ledyard Hodge sought to obtain some forhis collector friends in Philadelphia.

If you would like to learn more about tokens in general, alsobuy or borrow a copy of The 100 Greatest Medals andTokens, an award-winning book that Kathryn Jaeger and I didfor Whitman a few years ago and which is still in print. Alsocheck the Token and Medal Society's website. I was among thefounders 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)