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Message:: [QUOTE="CHUCKCXB, post: 2158709, member: 73421"]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[/QUOTE]