   #copyright

Civil War token

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American History

   Civil War store card
   Enlarge
   Civil War store card

   Civil War tokens are token coins that were privately minted and
   distributed in the United States between 1862 and 1864. They were used
   mainly in the Northeast and Midwest. The widespread use of the tokens
   was a result of the scarcity of government-issued cents during the
   Civil War.

   Civil War tokens became illegal after the United States Congress passed
   a law on April 22, 1864 prohibiting the issue of any one or two-cent
   coins, tokens or devices for use as currency. On June 8, 1864 an
   additional law was passed that forbade all private coinage.

   Civil War tokens are divided into three types—store cards, patriotic
   tokens, and sutler tokens. All three types were utilized as currency,
   and are differentiated by their designs. The collectible value of the
   tokens is determined chiefly by their rarity.

History

   By 1862, the second year of the Civil War, government-issued coinage
   began vanishing from circulation. American citizens hoarded all coins
   with gold and silver, and eventually began hoarding copper-nickel cents
   as well. This made it extremely difficult for businesses to conduct
   transactions. In response, many merchants turned to private minters to
   fill the void left by the hoarded coins. The first of these privately
   minted tokens appeared in the autumn of 1862, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It
   is estimated that by 1864, there were 25,000,000 Civil War tokens
   (nearly all redeemable for one cent) in circulation, consisting of
   approximately 7,000–8,000 varieties.
   Lindenmueller token
   Enlarge
   Lindenmueller token

   One of the most well-known and commonly struck types were store cards
   known as "Lindenmueller tokens," named for New York barkeep Gustavus
   Lindenmueller. In 1863, Lindenmueller had more than one million of his
   one-cent tokens struck and placed into circulation. One of the common
   uses for the token was for streetcar fare. The Third Avenue Railroad
   company of New York, which had willingly accepted a large quantity of
   the Lindenmueller tokens in lieu of actual currency, asked
   Lindenmueller to redeem them. He refused, and the railroad had no legal
   recourse. Incidents such as these eventually forced the government to
   intervene.

   On April 22, 1864, Congress enacted the Coinage Act of 1864. While the
   act is most remembered for the introduction of the phrase " In God We
   Trust" on the newly created two-cent piece, it also effectively ended
   the usage of Civil War tokens. In addition to authorizing the minting
   of the two-cent piece, the act changed the composition of the one-cent
   piece from a copper-nickel alloy (weighing 4.67 grams) to a lighter,
   less thick piece comprised of 95% copper (weighing 3.11 grams). The new
   one-cent piece was much closer in weight to the Civil War tokens, and
   found greater acceptance among the public.

   While the Coinage Act made Civil War tokens impractical, the issue of
   their legality was decided on June 8, 1864, when Congress enacted 18
   U.S.C.  § 486, which made the minting and usage of non-government
   issued coins punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, a prison term of up
   to five years, or both. (Chapter 25 of Title 18 deals specifically with
   counterfeit and forgery). It did not make it illegal to own Civil War
   tokens, however, and evidence exists that the tokens were viewed as
   collectibles as early as 1863, when the first known listings of Civil
   War tokens were published.

Types

Patriotic tokens

   A Dix token, an example of a patriotic token
   Enlarge
   A Dix token, an example of a patriotic token

   Patriotic Civil War tokens typically displayed a patriotic slogan or
   image on one or both sides. Since the majority of these tokens were
   minted in Union states, the slogans and images were decidedly
   pro-Union. Some common examples of slogans found on patriotic tokens
   are "The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved," "Union For Ever," and "Old
   Glory". Some of the images found on patriotic tokens were the flag of
   the United States, a 19th-century cannon, and the USS Monitor.

   Among the most well-known varieties of patriotic tokens are the
   so-called "Dix tokens." They are named for John Adams Dix, who served
   as Secretary of the Treasury in 1861. In a letter from Dix to a revenue
   cutter captain, Lieutenant Caldwell, he orders Caldwell to relieve
   another cutter captain of his command for refusing an order to transfer
   from New Orleans to New York. The letter ends with the following
   sentence: "If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot
   him on the spot." The quote found its way to a number of patriotic
   tokens, albeit with a slightly modified wording ("haul down" is usually
   replaced by "tear it down").

Store cards

   Civil War store cards differ from patriotic tokens in that one or both
   sides displays the name and/or location of a privately owned business.
   Businesses that could afford it had two custom dies made, with both
   advertising the business. Otherwise, only one side displayed the
   business's information.

Sutler tokens

   Sutler tokens are similar to store cards. Rather than listing the name
   of a private business, however, these tokens bore the name of a
   particular army unit (usually a regiment) and the name of the sutler
   who conducted transactions with the regiment. Of the three types of
   Civil War tokens, sutler tokens are by far the rarest.

Collectible value

   There are several factors that determine the collectible value of Civil
   War tokens. The main factor is rarity, which is measured on a scale
   from 1 to 10 (1 being the most common type). The scale was developed by
   noted numismatic dealer and writer George Fuld.

   The material used to mint Civil War tokens can also affect
   collectibility. Civil war tokens were minted using a variety of
   materials, copper being a common choice (often actually bronze). Other
   materials used for minting were nickel, tin, German silver, white
   metal, and silver. Examples of tokens minted using rubber are also
   known to exist.

Fuld rarity scale

     * R-1: Greater than 5,000
     * R-2: Between 2,000 and 5,000
     * R-3: Between 500 and 2,000
     * R-4: Between 200 and 500
     * R-5: Between 75 and 200
     * R-6: Between 20 and 75
     * R-7: Between 10 and 20
     * R-8: Between 5 and 10
     * R-9: Between 2 and 4
     * R-10: Unique (one known example)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_token"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
