Slave Tokens, Slave Penny, Medals, Anti-Slavery etc.?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by fretboard, May 23, 2015.

  1. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Anyone collect any of these or am I the only one. The No Slavery Token is an 1863 CWT that used to sell for around $20 a couple of years ago but not anymore. The one I own is the Barbados Slave Penny. The one I want is the 1838. Anyone have any? Any comments? $_CWT 186357.JPG $_CWT Rev57.JPG $_Sister57.JPG $_Sis-Attitude57.JPG BpjIsHQ2kKGrHqQOKiIEuYCfrdJBLr5KHiyg_35.jpg BpjIw-w2kKGrHqEOKiUEuZJ9o3fBLr5KgeU0g_35.jpg
     
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  3. Paul M.

    Paul M. Well-Known Member

    Neat. Is the N on the reverse in UNITED on the 1838 backward on purpose?
     
  4. doug5353

    doug5353 Well-Known Member

    I assume the coin you want is considered a Hard Times Token?
     
    swamp yankee likes this.
  5. rzage

    rzage What Goes Around Comes Around .

    Civil War Tokens are one of my passions . I hope to one day acquire the Am I not a Sister and a Brother tokens . Great pieces to remind us of an evil practice .
     
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  6. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yeah I gotta have one of those too, just the phrase with attitude says it all, "Am I Not a Woman & a Sister? To me that says it all and on behalf of all the mistreated slaves of over 200 years ago, I just gotta have one!! dblthumb2.gif 102444637_o.gif
     
  7. razorblaydesjr

    razorblaydesjr Active Member

    These are amazing pieces... Nice examples! I don't have any currently but you've inspired me to add atleast one to my collection.
     
  8. derkerlegand

    derkerlegand Well-Known Member

    You don't think that we're not constantly reminded of it now?
     
  9. l.cutler

    l.cutler Member

    I have always wanted some of these too. Be careful though, there are fakes out there.
     
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  10. CHUCKCXB

    CHUCKCXB Active Member

    The "Am I Not a Man & a Brother" token is actually the rarer sibling (only three are known to exist) of the "Am I Not a Woman & a Sister" token. The two are quite similar, differing mostly in the inscription. The figures of a slave on the tokens are nearly identical; however, the poses and the way the slaves are shackled are different.
    The token is a strong reminder of abolition, one of the three central political themes of the 19th century: the other two were temperance and women's rights. Abolitionists, taking their cue from Britain, began agitating for an end to slavery at the close of the 18th century, and the battle continued until the Civil War. The phrase "Am I Not a Man and a Brother" appeared frequently in Britain on tokens and even china. The "and" was changed to an ampersand when the slogan crossed the ocean.
    Why the female version of the token is more prevalent than the male is a numismatic mystery. Some believe that it may have been that the dies for the "Am I Not a Man & a Brother" token may have broken early in the run, while the others survived. Or the female token may just have been more popular, and the male tokens could not be sold. At any rate, some 500 to 1,000 "Am I Not a Woman & a Sister" tokens are thought to exist
     
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  11. coloradobryan

    coloradobryan Well-Known Member

    Very good post, I'm going to have to add a few of this type of token to my collection. What kind of prices are the most common of this type of token going for now days?
     
  12. CHUCKCXB

    CHUCKCXB Active Member

    less than a slave !!!
     
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  13. coloradobryan

    coloradobryan Well-Known Member

    don't know how to respond to that...
     
  14. serafino

    serafino Well-Known Member

    Powerful, it ran a chill down my spine. I think it's the most haunting message I have ever seen on a token/coin. Hard to think that this barbaric practice took place not that long ago.
     
  15. rzage

    rzage What Goes Around Comes Around .

    I had no Idea that these were that rare , thanks for the writeup .
    Guess I'll just stick to the CWTs unless I can find one fairly reasonably priced . I have a couple R-7 and one R-8 , but I imagine these are quite popular and expensive .
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2015
  16. rzage

    rzage What Goes Around Comes Around .

    I just looked on ebay and they have quite a few for sale , some slabbed from a couple hundred to over a thousand for some higher non detailed graded ones . Just google the phrase am I not a Sister .
     
  17. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yeah that's correct, the one I want is the 1838 and it's a Hard Times Token. I already have the CWT dated 1863 that says "Liberty and No Slavery". Used to be a $20 token at one time but not anymore, they go for at minimum $50 but if you keep your eyes peeled on feebay you can snag one much cheaper than $50. The 1788 "I Serve" Slave Penny from Barbados is mine, the rest are pics I snagged off of feebay just to use as examples. Incidentally the 1788 "I Serve" Slave Penny has plenty of fakes but mine is real, weighed and attributed by an expert. When I feel like selling it, I'll get it slabbed. wave.gif

    http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinText/Barbados.1.html
     
  18. foreverEBG

    foreverEBG Member

    informative post and cool coins. It feels good to be back after being away.
     
  19. cwtokenman

    cwtokenman Coin Hoarder

    The English produced a "Am I Not A Man And A Brother" token in the 1790s (but the token is undated). The obverse is very similar to HT82, of which the three are known. The reverse, however, depicts clasped hands instead of resembling a one cent piece. Rulau's 2004 4th edition indicates a value of $100 in VF and $210 in UNC for the English version. So, one could acquire a pair of these tokens if so desired.
     
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  20. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    The $100 for a VF sounds about right, but in Unc it is a lot more then $210 now. I would think closer to $600.

    They come with several different edge varities as well, some of which are extremely rare. (It also comes on penny and farthing tokens as well. The pennys are rare to very rare, the farthing is rare.)
     
  21. sgt23

    sgt23 Active Member

    It should continue to be said so it never happens again.
     
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