I have a hobby of metal detecting and have found some very cool old coins and other type things along the way. Am just curious as to if any of you guys consider store cards as coins? They were used as change by the merchants as I understand it. I have one that I was told is pretty rare. Only 5-9 known to exist. Its in pretty rough shape though. Still fun to find old stuff in the dirt. Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks, Jim
Hey, Jim. No, Civil War store cards would not be considered as coins. They are classified as tokens, and fall under the classification of Exonumia. They are, however, very collectible, and I, for one, have quite a few in my collection.
Civil war tokens are a very interesting aspect to numismatics. While many were used as store credits, many also reflected the times through political slogans. The story of the time unfolds through many of these little tokens. While many varieties were made during the few years, some are quite rare, and all enjoy a collectible base. They are very hot sellers these days as more collectors are expanding their interests.
As usual, ND is correct. These are becoming more popular as collectors seek to broaden their interests. Four popular categories of early US tokens are: Hard Times Tokens Patriotic Civil War Tokens Civil War Store Cards Sutler Tokens
More good examples: A must have book for all Token collectors: United States Tokens 1700-1900 by Russell Rulau 5000 photos and includes work on Civil War chits and tokens, as well as Hard Time Tokens, along with many early American Colony tokens.
Yes, I have the book. It's definately one of those "must haves". One of my favorite HTT's is one that has had the "NOT" removed. Obviously an attempt to pass the token off as real money. I'd like to see more collectors take an interest in Exonumia. The history behind some of this stuff is facinating.
I am a huge cigar smoker and history fan.... I had no idea that this area of coinage/tokens existed!!! I just checked eBay for cigar tokens, and ohmigod!!! Looks like those new shoes my wife wants are going to be put on hold!
I, myself, smoke 5-6 cigars a day. So I am a large smoker of cigars. I am also not a diminuative man! So, the answer is YES!
