Some of the images found on patriotic tokens were the flag of the United States, a 19th-century cannon, and the USS Monitor.Īmong the best-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. Some common examples of slogans found on patriotic tokens are 'The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved,' 'Union For Ever,' and 'Old Glory'. Since the majority of these tokens were minted in Union states, the slogans and images were decidedly pro-Union. Patriotic Civil War tokens typically displayed a patriotic slogan or image on one or both sides. The collectible value of the tokens is determined chiefly by their rarity. All three types were utilized as currency, and are differentiated by their designs.

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.Ĭivil War tokens are divided into three types- patriotic tokens, store cards, and sutler tokens. The first of these privately minted tokens appeared in the autumn of 1862, by H. In response, many merchants turned to private minters to fill the void left by the hoarded coins. This made it extremely difficult for businesses to conduct transactions. American citizens hoarded all coins with gold and silver, and eventually began hoarding copper-nickel cents as well. The widespread use of the tokens was a result of the scarcity of government-issued cents during the Civil War.īy 1862, the second year of the Civil War, government-issued coinage began vanishing from circulation. They were used mainly in the Northeast and Midwest. Civil War tokens are token coins that were privately minted and distributed in the United States between 18.

1863 army and navy civil war token