c.1792 Kentucky Token - Engrailed Edge

Coin Details

Description

Produced circa 1792, likely at a Birmingham, England, manufactory, this Kentucky Token features an engrailed edge — a decorative pattern of concave scallops around the coin's circumference created by an edge die or collar during striking. Cataloged as Whitman 8655, the engrailed edge distinguishes this variety from the vine edge, lettered edge, and plain edge variants within the Kentucky Token series. The obverse depicts a hand extending from clouds holding a scroll inscribed OUR CAUSE IS JUST above a constellation of fifteen stars — anticipating Kentucky's admission as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792 — and the reverse displays a large star surrounded by the legend UNANIMITY IS THE STRENGTH OF SOCIETY, a motto emphasizing civic unity. Struck in copper, the token weighs approximately 9.5 grams with a 29 mm diameter. Kentucky tokens are attributed to English manufacture based on their stylistic and technical similarities to the Birmingham-produced trade tokens of the early 1790s, when firms like Peter Kempson, John Westwood, and others operated prolific token-striking operations serving both domestic and overseas markets. Classified as moderately scarce, the engrailed edge variety is one of several edge types collected within the Kentucky series. The engrailing process required a specialized collar die with the scalloped pattern cut into its inner surface, adding a manufacturing step beyond what plain-edge strikings required and creating a variety that collectors can identify by touch as readily as by sight.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Whitman 8655