1861 Civil War Token?

I have purchased several discs of this type and price varies widely.

 

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It's a Civil War Identification disc for sure (we coin and token collectors call them dog tags). I've researched these tags thoroughly while trying to verify that a counterstamped coin I have might have been used as a dog tag by a Vermont soldier. A lot of these were punched by the regimental sutlers on prepared blanks that they carried with them. They could also be bought by mail order, but most were made in the field. The only reference I found in regard to these was a great book written by Larry B. Maier and Joseph W. Stahl titled "Identification Discs of Union Soldiers in The Civil War: A Complete Classification Guide and Illustrated History" written in 2008 and published by McFarland. You can probably get a copy on Amazon, but I'd try your local library first. I think they list about 600 discs that they examined personally. Be very careful though, there are many, many fakes and they're very difficult to authenticate. If it is genuine, it's worth a lot of money. Good Luck

Bruce

 

Woah, wasn't expecting this thread to become active again, haha. Well, truthfully I told my aunt, it's worth "something" to a collector or such. I did not get better pics , but if you guys think it would be worth getting it authenticated and/or appraised, I would be sure to tell her, and get better pics. I'll get back to everyone once I get in contact with her again. Oh >.< and the obvious, she did keep it (as far as I know) and hasn't done anything else. Thanks all!

 

I really think you should try to get a copy of the Maier / Stahl book first allout. I got one through the innerlibrary loan program at my local library (a free service). The book shows you a lot of things to look for when trying to authenticate these pieces. When I was doing my research on the counterstamp I got in touch with the authors through their publisher and they were very helpful to me. I don't know if any TPG services authenticate and slab these or not. I would check their websites and see if they do. Other than trying them, I don't know of anyone else who does it. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Bruce

 

id disc

Hello,

I have also purchased many discs. I would estimate the value of this one in the 1000-1200 range.

If your family member is ever interested in selling it let me know. bbo70amx@hotmail.com.

Very nice piece.