Collectible Hard Times Tokens
Hard Times tokens were minted privately, mostly out of copper, from 1832 to 1844, even though the actual economic depression for which these tokens are named didn’t take place until 1837, when banks began suspending "specie" payments, or the exchange of gold and silver coins for paper money. Many Hard Times tokens could be used as substitutes for one cent at specific businesses, whose information was usually embossed onto one side. Other...Continue Reading