Robinson & Jones 1833 Hard Times Token

The American Institute of the City of New York was a civic organization that existed from 1829 to 1930, and awarded medals of recognition to inventors, scientists, and agriculturalists in gold, silver, and bronze. Robinson's Jones & Co. received one of their awards for their button manufacturing, and proudly reproduced the obverse of the medal they were awarded on this Hard Times Token (such tokens being one of the other things they made, besides buttons). HT-154

Hey, Philly .... That medal's a beauty. I see that the recipient, Roswell L. Colt, was listed in the 1837 NY City Directory. He was a wool dealer at 9 Burling-slip, then residing at 25 Park Place - a somewhat prestigious location. He appears briefly in many 19th century books, being active in civic matters and a variety of other pursuits. It appears that he may have had a farm in Patterson, NJ, where his cattle, possibly sheep, too, were raised.

The great fun of this hobby, exonumia in particular, is attaching history to the tokens and medals, be it a company/organization or an individual. One can find volumes of info on the American Institute. I wonder if the Hard Times tokens were given out in change at their events? To my experience, these typically appear to have been well-circulated ... I've yet to see one that's a full red, BU.