Obverse of the Feuchtwanger cent

The Feuchtwanger Cent is a coin circulated by Lewis Feuchtwanger during the 1830-40s in the U. S.

Lewis Feuchtwanger (Born in Furth, Bavaria on January 11, 1805) received a doctorate at the University of Jena and then moved to New York City. Furth (not to be confused with the city Fürth) is the name of several communes in Germany and Austria Furth im Wald, Bavaria Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Jena (pronunciation ˈjeːna is a university City in central Germany on the river Saale. The City of New York He was primarily a mineralogist, metallurgist, and chemist, but also worked as a physician and was a member of a number of learned societies. Mineralogy is an Earth Science focused around the Chemistry, Crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of Minerals Metallurgy is a domain of Materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their A chemist is a Scientist trained in the Science of Chemistry. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health He wrote four books on mineralogy and chemicals.

In 1837, Feuchtwanger created tokens made of argentan (commonly known as German Silver) to alleviate the need for small change during the Hard Times. Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Nickel silver is a metal Alloy of Copper with Nickel and often but not always Zinc. German Silver is an alloy made of copper, nickel, zinc, tin and trace metals. It was considerable cheaper to produce than the extraction of copper for the government minted half-cents and cents.

The Hard Times, an especially rough period of economic recession following the dissolution of the Second Bank of the United States, was known for massive hoarding of small change. The Second Bank of the United States was a bank chartered in 1816 five years after the expiration of the First Bank of the United States. Much of the small change circulating at this time (roughly 1837-1844) was composed of clunky copper half-cents and cents privately produced or various cut and whole silver coins of foreign origin. In fact, it would not be until 1857, that Congress would enact into law that legal currency be coin of United States Mint origin. Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its Trade and Commerce.

In 1837, Feuchtwanger presented his one cent coins to Congress for approval as legal coinage. This was probably the first attempt to circulate "nickel" coinage in the United States. Congress denied his request, but Feuchtwanger persisted in his production and circulation. (Laws banning private coinage were not passed until 1864. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year ) Between 1837 and 1844 thousands of Feuchtwanger cents came out of his New York City pharmacy. Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences To the discerning collector over a dozen different die casts have been identified, affecting the relative rarity of each specimen found.

Aside from one cent tokens, in 1864 Feuchtwanger also produced three cent tokens which are considered extremely rare, as few specimens have survived. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Feuchtwanger was also noted for producing stamp-like casts featuring his common theme of a pouncing eagle attacking a snake.

He died in New York City on June 25, 1876. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year

Notes and References

http://coinbooks.org/esylum_v04n15a13.html - Article on Lewis Feuchtwanger
http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article2007.chtml - PCGS article on grading Feuchtwanger cents