Here are some Sanitary Fair Civil War tokens. The Sanitary Commission was a private group which raised funds to pay for medical and cleaning supplies for the the soldiers to use in the field. People did not understand the nature of illnesses and infections in the 19th century. They didn't comprehend that dirt and filth could be a lethal as bullets and cannonballs on the battlefield. During the Civil War, about the same number of soldiers died of diseases they caught in camp as from the battlefield injuries. The Sanitary Commission worked to change that. They held many fairs in cities and towns around the nation. Some of those events were marked by tokens which were sold to raise funds. Philadelphia One of the largest fairs was held in Philadelphia. For the event, the Philadelphia Mint brought a coin press on the floor of the fair and sold tokens there. The copper tokens sold for 10 cents each. The silver tokens sold for 50 cents each. The gold plated pieces were issued for VIPs and are very scarce. Copper, R-2, quite common Silver, R-3, 501 to 2,000 Gold Plated, R-6, 21 to 75. This piece is probably on the lower end of that estimate range. New York City The New York City fair was as big or larger than the Philadelphia fundraiser. Oddly enough the token is quite scarce because of a mix up in dates. The fair was held in early April, 1864, but the token is dated May. Therefore the few pieces that exist were probably struck after the event was over. These pieces were made by the Key die sinkers who were in Philadelphia. Most of the New York Sanitary Fair tokens are Mint State. This one is only a VF-30. I bought for half price at the time to save some money, which was probably a financial mistake. This is the most common variety. It's rated as an R-7, 11 to 20 known. Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket is now known as a tourist island, but in the 19th century, it was whaling port. The population was not large, but the income in that high risk - high reward business was high. This piece was made at about the same time has the New York Sanitary Fair piece, the Key firm in Philadelphia. This piece is rated as an R-4, 201 to 500 known. I handled quite a few of these pieces when I was dealer. This was the best one. Springfield, Massachusetts This token is a new addition to the Store Card CWT list. It was added in the new book, which was published in 2014. The old book was published in '60s. The Springfield fair was held December 19 to 24, 1864. John Adams Bolen, who was a prolific die maker, struck up 350 of these pieces in white metal. Book says it's rare, as an R-7, but I think it's overrated at that level. Wapakoneta, Ohio Back when the Fuld book rated the New York Sanitary Fair token as only an R-4, this piece was thought to be the tough one. The most common variety is rated as an R-7, 11 to 20 known. That might not be far off. When I was a dealer, I only saw two or three of them, including this one. This piece was originally silver plated. Most of that coating has worn off the piece. The plating is not unusual, in my opinion.
