1837 Token HT-263, Feuchtwanger Composition Eagle

Coin Details

Description

The 1837 Feuchtwanger Composition Eagle is the eagle-reverse variety of Feuchtwanger's three-cent token, paired with a different obverse than the New York Coat of Arms type (HT-262). Where HT-262 invokes local New York civic imagery, HT-263 uses a more universal American eagle motif that would have been familiar to any citizen accustomed to federal coinage, presenting Congress with both a locally-flavored and a nationally-flavored version of the proposed three-cent denomination. The obverse depicts an open displayed eagle standing on a rounded rock, with compact date numerals below. The eagle is centered and proportional, distinguishable from the larger, more dramatic "defiant eagle" used on the rarer Low-119 variety (HT-265/WB-102). The reverse features a laurel wreath surrounding THREE CENTS with FEUCHTWANGER'S COMPOSITION in the surrounding legend. Unlike the Low-119 reverse, which uses an oak wreath and expresses the denomination twice, HT-263 uses a laurel wreath and states the denomination only once. These details provide clear identification points for distinguishing the two eagle three-cent varieties. Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger's alloy — approximately 53% copper, 29% zinc, and 18% nickel — produced a silver-gray token that superficially resembled actual silver coinage. This was a deliberate feature of his proposal: the alloy looked respectable while being far cheaper than silver. The tokens circulated alongside hundreds of other privately-issued Hard Times tokens during the severe small-change shortage following the Panic of 1837. Feuchtwanger's pieces were unique among these tokens in being a serious metallurgical proposal to the federal government rather than mere merchant advertising or political commentary.

Rarity Notes

Rarity R-4 (scarce to rare). Scarcer than HT-262 (R-3) and substantially rarer than HT-268 (R-1). An estimated 100 to 200 surviving examples across all grades. Mint State examples are rare, with MS-63 and above genuinely elusive. An AU-50 PCGS example sold at Stack's Bowers; MS-63 examples have appeared at Heritage Auctions. Auction record: $29,375 for an MS-65 example at Heritage Auctions, November 2012.

Cross References

Low-118; Rulau W-NY-480-65j; PCGS #20004. Distinguished from the rarer HT-265/HT-265A (Low-119) by smaller date numerals, rounded rock base, laurel wreath (not oak), and denomination expressed once (not twice). Part of the PCGS Feuchtwanger Tokens (1837-1864) five-piece registry set.