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Richardson's Magneto Galvanic Battery

Started by bagerap, May 09, 2021, 02:02:46 AM

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bagerap

Galvanic pendant dating from around 1881. Galvanism is the therapeutic application of electric currents to the body, it was a popular branch of quack medicine throughout the nineteenth century and its use continued until the early 1900s. It takes its name from Italian physiologist, Luigi Galvani (1737-98) who discovered that electric currents could affect muscle activity in dissected animals. Also known as the Richardson's battery , this galvanic pendant was based on the principle that dissimilar metals cause small electrical current. The pendant would be worn around the neck and hung against the skin of the patient's chest. It was thought to 'cure' a range of neurological and rheumatic conditions by infusing the blood with electricity.

brandm24

A number of different quacks marketed these magnetic batteries as a cure for almost any disease or condition, including "Professor" James C. Boyd with his Boyd's Miniature Battery. His and others under such names as Sagendorph, Flanigan and Downing, and bagerap's Richardson, marketed such medallions to the unsuspecting throughout the US, Canada, and probably other countries too.

Boyd credentials as a "professor" are dubious at best but I suppose the title gave him a sense of respectability. He was in business with a man named Ellis Elias and had connections to his three brothers William, Henry, and Richard. All three were well known con-men, as was Elias. Boyd sold his contraption to agents across the country for 50 cents who probably charged a dollar or so for each battery they sold. It was a lucrative business.

The idea behind the battery was that the combination of metals used...mostly copper and brass...would produce a small electrical charge when exposed to the skin's "humidity"...sweat that is. In turn the electrical current would relieve symptoms of or cure a great number of maladies of the day. In a clever marketing ploy, Boyd cautioned against the battery being used by more than one person. He claimed that if a second person used the device the disease of the original wearer would be transfered to him.

These batteries are considered tokens and are collected as such today. They're quite scarce with Boyd's probably being the most common. Apparently, he swindled more people than the other guys, so more have survived. ;D The source of their manufacture are uncertain but it's thought that they were made in England.

Bruce
Always Faithful

FosseWay

At least it was reasonably harmless quackery, unlike the fad for ingesting radioactive substances, which arose slightly later and didn't really get hit on the head as being positively harmful until people saw the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

brandm24

It was harmless, but at a dollar or so apiece was a bit pricey for the average working chap. But then again, you can't put a price on the "rrestoration of your manhood." :o

Bruce
Always Faithful

Figleaf

Quote from: brandm24 on May 09, 2021, 11:14:53 AM
These batteries are considered tokens and are collected as such today.

An inspiring phrase. I would certainly not consider them tokens. Who says they are tokens and why?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Manzikert

Another one, from the museum where I work, and the original advertising leaflet which we also have.

The beautifully named Dr Charles D'Oyley John Lowder (1806-1878) actually had an Edinburgh MD, but seems to mainly have practiced as a homeopath.

I would agree with Peter that it seems rather strange to classify them as tokens, as they would never have been used in any sense in exchange for goods or services.

Alan

brandm24

Quote from: Figleaf on May 09, 2021, 03:32:23 PM
An inspiring phrase. I would certainly not consider them tokens. Who says they are tokens and why?

Peter
I agree. Tagging them as tokens is a real stretch, but in the US at least they trade as tokens.

Token researcher Russell Rulau in his 2002 "Standard Catalog of United States Tokens" lists galvanic batteries of different types. I don't know his reasoning behind it but suspect an earlier cataloger may have been his source. Rulau was a life long and influential researcher of US and Latin American token issues. Perhaps he classified these pieces as tokens himself many years ago and that designation has carried forward.

Bruce
Always Faithful

FosseWay

I suspect the answer to Peter's question "Why" is simply that they're round-ish and made of metal, and may have some form of inscription on them for good measure. They may get classified as "tokens" for similar reasons that tool checks are, in that case.

The other reason is that they may get taken up out of ignorance. They may have a vaguely paranumismatic appearance and therefore be discussed as "possible tokens" before people realise what they are. Into the same category come paraffin lamp burner knobs and lead seals. Having been taken up by publications or websites discussing tokens, they often then need to continue to be referred to by said publications and websites, if only in terms of "these are often classified as tokens, but they're not really".

What constitutes a "token" in the sense of an approved object of study in a catalogue of tokens or similar is also very dependent on where you come at the question from. I think most people if given the definition of "token" as "a coin-like object issued to allow payment or exchange of goods and services" would not regard these galvanic batteries, lamp knobs and seals as tokens if they know from the start that that's what these objects are.

On the other hand, there are plenty of "token-like objects" whose use is unclear but which share a pedigree with pieces that are definitively tokens by anyone's definition. For example, the book on Gothenburg tokens that I helped to compile and that I relied on heavily for my presentations on the city's transport tokens lists various different round metallic objects issued by the shipyards. Alongside the transport tokens I showed, and things like coffee or canteen tokens that I didn't show but are still clearly tokens, the book lists items that may actually be tool checks or other non-tokens for the more purist wing of the hobby. But they have in common that they are part of the heritage of the shipyards and in many cases we can't be sure of their usage either way, so they are included in an "if in doubt, include it" philosophy.

If you approach the issue from the social or industrial historical perspective, the fact that a shipyard issued a given piece with its name on is more important than whether its use conforms to a given set of more or less arbitrary criteria for the appellation "token". If you approach the issue from the point of view of defining, say, "transport token" and then trying to collect an example of each issue that meets your definition, then tool checks, lamp knobs and whatever else clearly don't belong.

Which is all a longwinded way of saying "à chacun son goût" or "whatever takes your fancy" :)

brandm24

A long answer to a simple question, FosseWay, but well put just the same. I think the round shape and metallic composition is the best answer, and the fact that it has a name makes it an advertising piece of a sort.

As far as who "decided" it should be classified a token I couldn't find the answer. Without exception though the galvanic batteries are described as tokens...on auction sites, coin forums, and even by third party grading companies. I've attached an image of an NGC slab that clearly describes a Boyd's Battery as such. The piece was offered in a Heritage auction. A like example was also offered by Dix, Noonan, Webb of London.

Bruce
Always Faithful

Figleaf

Round, metallic and with a name makes it an advertising token? Mmmm. I am sorry I deposited those empty button batteries with the chemical waste now. >:D

If I were to classify these thingies, I'd say they are a recent form of amulets. Though perhaps a bit unattractive, at least they are in the spirit of steam power and big cog wheels and young boys with large, checkered caps selling newspapers on the streets. Mundus vult decipi.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

brandm24

They are unattractive as is. Unfortunately some people polish the heck out of them which turns ugly to hideous.

Bruce
Always Faithful

brandm24

I just have one more galvanic battery to post. This is the Sagendorph example sold by G. A. Sagendorph & Co. It was in direct competition with Boyd's Battery and others.

Both Boyd and George Sagendorph engaged in a prolonged legal struggle each claiming that they'd invented the device. Apparently, Boyd was the inventor and Sagendorph simply copied his device and marketed it under his name. As you can see, they look exactly alike. The thought of two charlatans fighting over taking credit for inventing a scam is rich irony. ::)

Bruce
Always Faithful