I just got a handful of coins from my Dad's drawer, a couple of good walkers and a BU 1878 Morgan, but the one that confuses me is, I think, a penny, on one side it says "UNION" and on the reverse it says "LIBERTY" over the date 1863. I do have a 1863 Indian Head penny and it does not look like this. The coin is in vf to AU condition. Anybody help me, have I found the Mother Load? HA HA, or just a cracker jack prize?
Ewasherman,the piece with 'UNION','LIBERTY' & '1863' sounds like a U.S. Civil War 1c. trader's currency token. Aidan.
I am sure that cwtokenman will know that this piece is.He's a collector of the U.S. Civil War traders' currency token series. Aidan.
The 1863 coin sounds like a patriotic civil war token. In order for someone here to determine its type and rarity, you would need to post a photo.
Civil war token......Sadly Cwtokenman is the only one of us with enough expertise to identify what type of piece you have. If in AU condition it could hold some value....
Sorry for not being around lately, a serious family illness required a great deal of time. Welcome to the forum ewasherman! Undoubtedly you have a Civil War token. A more detailed description or picture will likely be necessary to identify your token. There are 24 "UNION" (only) and 29 "LIBERTY" (only) dies. With all of the die combinations, and quite a few metal possibilities as well, it would be tough to make an accurate guess. But I will take a shot and we'll see how good of a guesser that I am. I think that it will be a 236/426a. I will add some description of this token, and you can let me know if it describes your token. 236 is the die number for the Liberty (obverse) side. LIBERTY and 1863 are within an oak leaf cluster. LIBERTY is in an arc, while the date is more or less straight. The 1 is larger than the other numerals, and the bottom of the 1 is even with the bottom of the 8 (as opposed to the 1 being lower than the 8), while the 6 & 3 are shifted up ever so slightly (there is a shifted down variety also). There is a ribbon at the bottom of the wreath. The hole (opening) in the ribbon is approximately square (there is a triangular shaped version also). Die 426 is for the "UNION" (reverse) side. UNION will be more or less in a straight line, and centered within a wreath consisting of clusters of slender, pointed leaves. There will be berries on both right and left sides of the wreath. There will be a ribbon (bow) on this wreath as well, with a wider but shorter opening than the other side. If I am not correct, let me know what descriptive features were in err, and I will narrow the field. Regardless of the id number, these tokens do have value. If not damaged, most cwts will still bring at least $10 even with considerable wear. Nice examples of course bring more, sometimes much more. Look to see if your token is copper or not. It most likely is, but other metals were also used, and those frequently carry a sizable premium. I will be anxiously awaiting your reply.
