This listing is for the photographed 1837 Executive Experiment Hard Times Token. Great detail but damaged (as can be seen in the photos). Price is reflective of damage. Rarer type of hard times token.
What's up with the design? The tortoise likely represented what the people thought of the government at the time and it's slow growth. The critics of the government were nostalgic for the high-flying boom that was fueled before 1832 by worthless paper money and overextended credit.
Hard-times tokens are American large or half cent-sized copper tokens, struck from about 1833 through 1843, serving as unofficial currency. These privately made pieces, comprising merchant, political and satirical pieces, were used during a time of political and financial crisis in the United States.
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abounded.
1837 Hard Times Token - XF (Extremely Fine) Details with Prior Corrosion - 1837 Hard Times Token Millions for Defense Not One Cent 1837