Lot 255

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

Rare W.W. Wilbur Slave Auctioneer Token, Pre-Civil War Charleston 1846

A copper token, measuring 1.125" in diameter, Charleston, South Carolina, dated 1846. The obverse reads, "W.W. Wilbur, Auction & Commission Merchant" and features a standing silhouette of a male auctioneer. Verso reads, "Merchants & Manufacturers Agent. Collection Broker. Notary Public", with an image of a bushy tree. Rubbing and scratching throughout, with some deeper indentation at the lower front edge. Heavy age darkening, but appears in good condition. Not inspected outside of the housing cardboard.

Several different varieties of this coin were produced, with 13 confirmed varieties of this token being known. The varieties consist of four distinct obverse types and two distinct reverse types, in conjunction with various metal compositions - brass, copper, silvered brass, German silver, and gilt brass. This particular copper coin has a period after "CA." on the front, and reads "GOING AT ONLY A PENNY" on the obverse, with a bushy tree, rather than a thin tree, on the reverse. According to the Chibbaro Rarity Scale, this is an R-4, with approximately 50-99 specimens known to have survived.

William W. Wilbur was an infamous Southern auctioneer who owned and operated a mercantile in pre-Civil War Charleston, South Carolina. He operated numerous businesses, including slave auctions, retail, brokering, and notary, but was best (or worst) known for being an active agent in the slave trade.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000