Unlisted Hard Times Token ????

[doclaw]

I was trying to identify an "illustrious predecessor" token and it
appears to be an unlisted variant of HTT A33. Low 17A,

http://fao-coins.info/survey/LOW19A.JPG

The HTT 33's seem to be identifiable by the position of the rear foot
over the "R" in "predecessor".

I can't find any with the thin ears on this donkey.

Appreciate help with identification.

Thanks

[Mr. Jaggers]

Doc, what you and I need is a picture book of HTTs, similar to those by
Noyes and Wright for large cents, where there are clear enlargements to
three or four diameters! The pix in Rulau leave much to desire, even the
"enlarged" versions. It would also help to have some up-to-date scholarship
on them, which is sorely lacking.

That said, while I agree that your token resembles HT A33, I do not believe
it is a variant. I realize that we don't know everything about these
things, and that there is a possibility of a discovery coin still out there,
still, we must not presume that we have one. If I apply Occam's Razor to
this, I can become comfortable with the notion that wear and tear will
account for the pitiful state of your donkey's ear. It requires too much
coincidence for all pickup points to match except for the bulk of such a
small detail.

Now, here's some speculation for you to think about. If the only difference
between 33 and A33 is the type of rim decoration, I wonder if it is possible
that A33's "denticles" are nothing more than the result of a heavily-lapped
die, which resulted in the beads being "pulled" to the rim, as we often see
in the capped bust half dollars of the same general era, to the point where
they look less and less like beads, and more and more like denticles. I in
fact have two examples of 33, and one of them especially looks like it has
beads when viewed from one angle, and denticles when viewed from another.
This could also explain any anomaly in the appearance of the ears on the
finished coin.

That's the best I can do at 345a.

James