Please help identify

Hi, I posted this coin/token on another coin forum. No one could identify what it was. The only idea that was given is that it reminded someone of a civil war tag. Any help would be great.
Thanks

 

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Good to have you here lenabobby. I've been involved in token collecting for a long time but don't recognize this one. The R.I. might indicate Rhode Island as a location but that's just a guess. I've checked all the references I have and don't see a listing for this particular token. It does appear to be c 1850-1870, but again just a guess. I'm not sure what you mean by a "Civil War tag", but I don't believe its a dog tag or an attributed Civil War token per se. I would do a Google search for "T.V.V." + R.I. and see if anything comes up. I'll look into this for you, but these "initials-only" tokens are notoriously difficult to attribute. Good luck.

Bruce

 

Thanks for your help Bruce. I have googled everything with these letters and nothing comes up. I will keep trying though.

 

Sorry...I tried, but came up empty. I can tell you it's not listed in the "Standard Catalog of United States Tokens 1700-1900". I can also say with confidence it's not a Civil War ID tag.

That's the best I can do...but, I'm new to the study of tokens and medals. Hopefully one of the CT experts can help...good luck!!

 

well R.I is rhode island

 

While it is true that Rhode Island is often written as 'R. I.' that does not necessarily mean that that 'R. I.' on this token means 'Rhode Island'.

 

Theory:

one sided, means perhaps that it was meant to be mounted or placed on something? Perhaps like what we see today with initials on a jewelry box..

The looks does remind me of the civil war era, the RI may be something to do with Rear Infantry? TVV.. Towards Vicksburg Virginia? Perhaps this was a token with a secret message....

Sending the infantry to Vicksburg..

YA, so, its a stretch.. got something better in mind?? : )

 

Do you think the 2nd "V" could stand for volunteers ?

 

I was thinking that same thing! I was also wondering if the surface on the backside offered any clues. It seems a bit more refined (to my untrained eyes) than comparable Civil War era pieces I've seen.

 

Hobo is right, tokens of this era rarely designated the state, as they circulated locally. "T.V.V." (whatever it stood for) was probably familiar to the locals, so a state location, or even a city designation wasn't necessary. They would know who or what "T.V.V." represented. This really is similar to a Civil War era style of token and is the reason I thought it would date to c 1850-1870. The purpose of this token is hard to determine, but probably had some value to someone who posessed it, such as redeemable for a free drink at a saloon or a discount on the purchase of some product from a merchant. Whatever its purpose, it's a nice historical piece. I wouldn't mind having this in my own collection.

Bruce

 

Now that you mention it , it looks like there are faint letters towards the top and bottom of the reverse. I wonder if Higher resolution scans will show more ?

 

I looked for "something" Valley, Rhode Island. I came up with Pine Valley, Blackstone Valley, Yawgoo Valley, and Hope Valley, but nothing beginning with a "T".

 

I don't see anything on the reverse kangayou, but higher resolution scans might help. It very well be a token struck on a planed down planchet of some type coin (IHC ?) so it would be helpful to know the diameter. Could you measure it lenabobby and let us know?

Bruce

 

Interesting...I went back to some Civil War ID tags to compare blank surfaces and I noticed something I didn't see before. One of the tags was a New York tag that said "Veteran Volunteers".

I looked into that a bit more and a saw where volunteer units that re-up after their first tour sometimes refer to themselves as "Veteran Volunteer" units. One of the volunteer units from Rhode Island was the 12th Regiment.

Just a W.A. guess, but...

I'm wondering if this "token" could be the face off a uniform button of the 12th Veteran Volunteers of Rhode Island...(assuming there is such a thing).

EDIT: Nope...probably not a button.

 

I think I see something on the back but we need higher rez scans to pick it out.

 

How about Tennessee Valley Volunteers- Regular Infantry?

 

I think that's it. Go to Google Books and enter Civil War Tennessee Valley Volunteers. There are 26 books that discuss them and the battles they participated in, the Regular Infantry, the Tennessee Army and their Commanders. This seems to be all reading material, but if you have the time, the ID Tag may be described there. Option two would be to write to the various civil war organizations in Tennessee for help. Those you can Google as well. Good luck.

 

I have no idea... i now there are many coins before the civil war broke out......i think you should contact some historian who has specialty pre-civil war affairs.I have a large collections of coins world wide even from the Arab world where coins were used from prehistoric times.

 

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I think it is a possible bus token for Road Island or maybe a Train Token. Then again like everyone points out there is no reverse. what is the physical dimensions of the coin (Weight, Possible content, thickness, and diameter)