Q.David Bowers
The Bergen Iron Works was located at Bricksburg, later called Lakewood, New Jersey. At that time the Bergen Iron Works and its competitors engaged in the smelting of low grade "bog ore." When richer iron deposits in Pennsylvania were exploited, most of the New Jersey iron smelters ceased operations. By the late 19th century remains of some of the Bergen Iron Works buildings, which had long since been abandoned, were still to be seen. Apparently the Bergen Iron Works token was issued in conjunction with a company store operated by the firm.
Lyman H. Low described 183 different types of tokens from the 1833-1844 period. Since that time a number of other pieces, some undated but with devices, inscriptions, or appearances which suggest origin from this era, have been identified by collectors as being part of the series.
These tokens, the size of a contemporary American copper cent, circulated freely at the value of one cent. A profit was shown by the issuers who paid less than face value for them. Eugene H. Richards, a descendant of one of the founders of H. M. & E. I. Richards, informed Lyman H. Low that the token manufacturing firm shipped pieces by the thousands in kegs to customers at 60c to 75c per hundred. A token issued by Clark & Anthony, Providence, Rhode Island jewelers (listed as Low 94) was struck to the extent of 36,000 pieces, for which the jewelry firm paid Richards $270.
The number of well-worn Hard Times tokens in existence today is abundant proof of the status which these pieces once enjoyed as a circulating medium of exchange. By the late 1850s scattered examples were still to be seen in commercial channels.
Confederate States of America Coinage
During its brief existence the Confederate States of America was responsible for two coins: the cent made on a contractual basis by a Philadelphia die cutter, and the half dollar struck in the New Orleans Mint.
In 1908 John W. Haseltine described his discovery of the Confederate cent:
I have been asked to say something about the so-called Confederate cent. A little circular issued by myself and Mr. Randall some years ago tells all the history of the striking of all these pieces, but I do not think it mentioned how I obtained the dies. One day I was told by a gentleman that a bartender in West Philadelphia had a Confederate cent. I doubted it. Mr. ]. Colvin Randall (now deceased) was told the same. He conferred with me in reference to it. We decided that if either of us obtained it we would share in any profit that would accrue from it. I saw the bartender and purchased the coin from him. It was in nickel and he said that he received it over the bar. I knew by the head on the obverse that it was Mr. Lovett's work. I called on Mr. Lovett and he denied ever having made such dies. At numerous times I called to induce him to give me some information about them, but he always stuck to his story that he did not make them, until one day he pulled out a drawer in one of his cabinets and I beheld a line of little Confederate cents. He then owned up and told me that he had eleven of them but formerly there were twelve, he having lost one. He said he received the order to make them for the Confederacy through a well-known jewelry firm in Philadelphia but that his wife became timid about his delivering them for fear that the United States government would arrest him for giving assistance to the enemy so he buried them in his cellar until long after the war was over, and even then he was afraid to show them. I purchased the dies from him, and, as you all probably know, did not strike any in nickel, considering them to a certain extent as originals, but we had three struck in gold and I believe five in silver and fifty-five in copper, the die breaking on the 55th piece, which is in existence, showing the break in the die.
Early in 1861 the Confederate States of America contacted Bailey & Co., Philadelphia jewelers, concerning supplying one-cent pieces for the South. Bailey com-missioned Robert Lovett, Jr., a die sinker of that city, to prepare the pieces. Earlier Lovett had produced a one-cent-size token with an attractive bust of Liberty on the obverse and with his own advertisement on the reverse. This attractive design was considered ideal for use on the Confederate cent. Lovett then struck a small number of pieces, as Haseltine related. For over a decade the secret was kept. Numismatists were not aware of their existence.
Following Haseltine's discovery of the 1861 cents and the dies, he enlisted the help of J. Colvin Randall and Peter L. Krider, also of Philadelphia, to produce restrikes. They were careful not to produce any restrikes in the original metal, copper-nickel, thus preserving the integrity of the twelve pieces originally struck in 1861 by Lovett. The story of the restriking was told in an advertisement used to sell the subsequently-produced coins:
Philadelphia, April 2, 1874
Having succeeded in discovering and purchasing the dies of the Confederate cent, we, the undersigned, have concluded to strike for the benefit of collectors a limited number, and in order to protect those gentlemen who had the [coppernickel] pieces originally struck in 1861, we determined to strike none in that metal. Our intention was to strike 500 in copper, but after the 55th impression the collar burst and the dies were badly broken. They are now in the possession of Mr. Haseltine and may be seen at any time at his store, No. 1343 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
The history of this piece is probably known to most collectors, but for the information of those who are ignorant of the facts we will state that the dies were made by Mr. Lovett, of Philadelphia, in 1861, who says that they were ordered in that year by the South, that he struck but twelve pieces, but probably thinking that he might have some difficulty in reference to them (having made the dies for the South), he mentioned the matter to no one until a few months since, when he parted with ten pieces, struck in [copper-nickel] which he stated were all that he had, having lost two pieces. One of the said two pieces was the means of the dies and pieces being traced. Although the Confederacy did not adopt this piece, it will always be considered interesting as the only coinage designed for said Confederacy . . .
Seven restrikes were made in gold, 12 in silver, and 55 in copper. By April 2, 1874, the date of the preceding notice, six of the ten 1861 Confederate States of America copper-nickel cents had been sold.