Cincinnati die maker Benjamin True is best known for the Wealth of the South token. This piece expressed the South's defiance toward the North more than any other Civil War era piece. Although Civil War tokens are almost all limited to pieces that were issued from 1861 to 1864, this piece and the others in the series are dated 1860. Less well known are the large and small pieces True made for the four presidential candidates who ran in 1860. The large pieces were 38 mm in diameter and the small ones, which are in the Civil War token series, are 22 mm. None of these pieces are easy to find. It has taken me about 35 years to track down all of these pieces. In addition there are minor varieties for all of these pieces and obverse and reverse die combinations. David Bowers has written a excellent little book on the small Civil War Token pieces. Members of the Civil War Token Society to purchase a copy for $5 which covers the shipping. We will start with an example of the large and small Lincoln pieces. Small. This is a rarer variety with the Union shield and "The Union must and shall be preserved" on the reverse. Large Stephen Douglas Small Stephen Douglas Large John Breckenridge, Small. This piece has the "presidents house" on the reverse which is the most often seen combination for all of the small pieces. Large John Bell, Small John Bell, Large
