New York Theatre "Penny" Token

New York Theatre "Penny" Token

In the upcoming Heritage Long Beach Signature Auction is a popular Conder token highly desired by collectors of American colonial coins. The New York Theater Penny Token, graded Proof 64 Brown by PCGS, is a 35mm token often referred to as a penny because of both its size and the lettering on its edge.

The late Walter Breen 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 had two of the 13 known examples of this early and extremely rare penny token.

In 1794, John Kleeberg demonstrated that this token was one of the so-called Conder series popular in Britain in the 1790's. Made for collectors, this token is generally found in high grades, and most known pieces are proofs.

Peter Skidmore struck 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. Jacob also did an entire series of halfpenny 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.

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