What The Experts Say...

HT 337, Low 158.
Only five specimens of Low 158 have been offered at auction in the past 25 years. All were either low grade or damaged: On the reverse, the legend from 9-11:00 is faint, but readable. The central inscription is generally bold and is complete.

1. PCAC – 1999 Hard Times Sale, #83. Described in detail as follows: The obverse is well-centered on a smooth defect-free surface. It is weakly struck as top so that the CL of CLEVELAND cannot be distinguished and the first E of that word is only partially visible. The eagle’s breast and right wing show considerable detail. However, the left wing, while outlined, is almost without detail. On the reverse, the legend from 7:00 to 1:00 is not visible. IES. LIQUORS is bold. The central inscription is generally bold except for the MER of MERWIN, which is faint. A number of old scratches, some fine and some not so fine, pass through the center. $3190.00

2. B & M’s 2002 Steinberg, #5427 graded Fine; ex Stack’s 1989 Steinberg, #372, graded VF/F. Weak at top obverse and reverse. Thin X pin scratches in the central reverse. $3300.00;

3. PCAC – 1989 Great Eastern Collection, #6. Fine, with uniform light granularity. $4400.00;

4. PCAC – 1986 Calvert Emmons Collection, #12. XF with a patch of gouges on the reverse at 12:00; one of which has distended the edge by several mm. $3410.00;

5. PCAC – 1973 Otto Sghia Collection, #12. VF, but struck on an uneven planchet with the result that the cent of the reverse received more wear then the rest of the token, The numerals “34” in the street address are thus completely obliterated by wear. $735.00.

(H. Joseph Levine, PCAC, The Charles Litman Collection, December 6, 2003)

Obverse: A LOOMIS CLEVELAND OHIO around with eagle in center. Reverse: WINES & C. NO. 34 MERWIN ST 1843. Undated Loomis tokens are commonly met with, but only Low 158-160 bear a date (L. 159 and 160 being exceptionally rare).

(Stacks, the John J. Ford Collection, Part IV, June 23rd, 2004)