10,000 Tokens: Their Story, Their Variety, Their Fun By Matt Draiss The American Civil War token is one of the most fascinating and fast-growing fields in numismatics. The Civil War token is one of the easiest, most affordable things in numismatics to collect that still holds a historic significance to one of the most fascinating times in American history. The Civil War token is a link to the past that almost any age group can collect, understand, and enjoy them. I first discovered the field of Civil War tokens by plowing through an exonumia junk box in a local dealer’s office. I was enthralled by finding bus tokens, Hard Times tokens, sales tax tokens, medals, merchant tokens, and Civil War tokens all in one place! I had an absolutely wonderful time digging through that box and that was where I bought my first patriotic Civil War token. I remember I bought a well-worn piece that was in deplorable condition, but the lordly sum of one dollar warranted an immediate purchase. I soon became fascinated with these tokens, and then decided to build a collection of just New York state store cards. After those big purchases of under five dollars, I then decided to build a set of store cards by die variety of all New York merchants. This is quite the task, but my collection now holds tokens worth much more that that original one dollar investment. It will probably take me most of my lifetime to complete this collection, but for a buck I found a life calling, so get prepared to embark on a numismatic journey well worth your attention! The Civil War token is generally divided into three areas: patriotics, store cards, and sutler tokens. These three areas offer anywhere from a few hundred varieties to collect to over 8,000. The tokens originated because during the war the public hoarded anything made of silver, gold, or copper from the Mint, so there was a severe lack of change to use in everyday trade and commerce. Civil War tokens can be collected by state, by subject, by variety, by diesinker, by issuer, or a collection of as many you can possibly buy. Civil War tokens are readily available in lower grades but get scarce in higher grades. The best areas to look for Civil War tokens are at coin shows, at auction, or on the internet. In the next three sections of this essay, I will discus how I discovered the Civil War token, ways of getting started by explaining the basics of each of the three categories, good books on the subject, and the Civil War Token Society. The Civil War store card is the most common of all three varieties. “Tokens are known for more than 1,500 different advertisers” (Jaeger, 27). These tokens were issued in 23 different states. “Today, more than 8,600 varieties of store cards are know, including die combinations and different metals” (Jaeger, 27). Different metals used to make store cards range from copper (one of the most commonly used metals) to rare pieces in silver. Civil War token store cards are collected in many different areas. I collect them by variety for New York issues, but you can build a set based on state, metal, die sinker, tokens related to coin dealers, a specific industry, or even just a type set. Collecting the tokens by variety is a never-ending task, so proceed with patience. The store card is valued based on six main criteria: issuer, metal, rarity, design, condition, and state. Technically, state and rarity should be one category as some states issued one or no tokens at all. The following is two examples of how to value a store card by some of the features mentioned above: Skidmore’s Hotel located in Seneca Falls, New York is the one I have selected. This token is listed as Fuld 845-A-1a. This token is also listed as a Fuld-Rarity 4. This token is a somewhat more common piece. R-4 tokens are not rare by any stretch, so what makes this token sell for big bucks whenever an example comes up? The design: The token portrays an eagle with a cigar in his mouth. Now, how many people don’t find that amusing! Designs on Civil War tokens help account for a big factor in the pricing of a piece. Another example I have chosen is M.L. Marshall who was a coin dealer and a tackle salesman located in Oswego, NY. This is listed as Fuld-695A-2a and is listed as a Fuld-Rarity 1. R-1 tokens are the most common ones in existence, but nicer grades like About-Uncirculated to Mint State command far more than other regular tokens. An AU token of M.L. Marshall is worth about twice what an AU token is of similar rarity. Why? The design again: This token has a fish on it. The issuer: The fact that he was a coin dealer helps out when value comes into play but a combination of both fishing tackle salesman and coin dealer! It does not get more interesting than this! Civil War tokens in other metals like silver, white-metal, and bronze tend to be very rare issues. The only way to price a common token struck in a rare metal is to use auction records. An important note is that when collecting store cards from issuers like Oliver Boutwell of Troy, NY, who issued many tokens, a rare die variety is not always going to bring a lot of money. Not many people have found an interest in the variances of different dies on a common issuer, so a rare piece may not bring a lot of money unless in a different metal. Determining how rare your store card is can be a fun project on a rainy day. The Fuld book I mention below has tables, rarities, and metal information state by state. This book can seem a bit daunting at first, but it really is easy. It comes down to matching dies on the token by obverse and reverse. The tricky part is getting a token that has multiple die possibilities, but that is easily discerned with experience from a dealer or advanced collector. It may seem that there are a hundred possibilities with some obverse or reverse die varieties (especially the Indian) but it is not as intimidating as it sounds. The next part we will consider is the patriotic token. These tokens were issued with a variety of designs ranging from cannons to pictures of slaves. “About 2,000 varieties of patriotics are known today, counting the variations in metal compositions” (Jaeger, 26). These pieces are among some of the most common Civil War tokens and can be purchased relatively inexpensively. The patriotic token was issued to show support for either the North or the South. These tokens are collectible by die variety, by design, by issuer, or by what they supported. One of the most famous tokens of this series was a die engraver’s mistake that read “SHOOT HIM ON THE SPOOT” instead of “ON THE SPOT.” One of my favorite issues is the one displaying the Monitor and the Merrimac which were ironclad ships used on both sides. The last Civil War token I will briefly talk about is the sutler token. Sutlers were people who sold good to soldiers at their camp or regiment. The sutler token is probably the most historic of all Civil War tokens. This type of token was actually held and used by the soldiers everyday. Sutlers are very rare and hard to find today. “More than 500 varieties are known, but few extensive collections have ever been formed” (Jaeger, 65). Sutler tokens can be collected by regiment, location, or issuer. These tokens (being the rarest of all Civil War tokens) bring a huge price tag when offered for sale. Plan on spending $200 or more for a piece in a low grade. The authoritative reference on the series is Civil War Sutler Tokens and Cardboard Scrip by David Schenkman. Someday, I would love to personally add a collection of sutler tokens from New York into my collection of store cards. The best place to research Civil War tokens and their history, values, and rarity is simply through books. There are only a handful of Civil War token books out there, but they are well worth the investment. For researching and collecting store cards, I highly recommend U.S. CIVIL WAR STORE CARDS Second Edition by George and Melvin Fuld. This book is not easy to come buy and one of the only places it is readily available is through the Civil War Token Society (CWTS) website or via their quarterly journal. The book is going to updated in the very near future so it may be worth waiting and purchasing the updated book. Retail pricing for this book is $100 for non-members of the CWTS and $85 for members. Another book that goes into detail on the tokens is the 100 GREATESTAMERICAN MEDALS AND TOKENS by Katherine Jaeger and Q. David Bowers. This book does not go into great length on Civil War tokens in particular, but it has a few pages on all of the above mentioned categories. This book is available via Whitman Publishing and is priced at $29.95. The standard reference for the patriotic token is going to be Patriotic Civil War Tokens 5[SUP]th[/SUP] Edition . This book was last updated in 2007, so it provides very accurate information. This book is also available via the CWTS for $30 for members and $35 for non-members. In the very near future, Dave Bowers will be publishing a book on Civil War tokens that is a general reference and not limited to just one category. This book is expected to retail in the $20 range, so this book is going to be worth buying! The only club dedicated strictly to Civil War token collectors is the Civil War Token Society. Membership is available at both adult and junior levels. The club issues a quarterly journal dedicated to all areas of Civil War tokens. The CWTS website is www.cwtsociety.com. The club also conducts quarterly auctions for its members. The CWTS also has an online chat room dedicated to the hobby. Another great group to join that focuses on the much broader field of tokens and medals from every walk of life is the Token and Medal Society (TAMS). TAMS issues a magazine 6 times a year and has a number of books for sale on their website www.tokenandmedal.org. These little pieces of metal offer an escape from the troubles of daily life and you can take a trip back in time for minimal cost. These tokens are history right in your hands and can be enjoyed right from the armchair. Maybe Ulysses Grant held one of these tokens or Robert E. Lee. If you are related to somebody who fought in the Civil War maybe they traded with the very sutler token that is in your collection today! These and many other thoughts are what make this token so much fun; so get out to a local coin show or online and pick one up today! Dedicated to the late Steve Tanenbaum who was a token of knowledge himself.
