HistoryBuffalo

Thank you and definitely! I’ve added some info about sutlers below… Sutlers would follow a unit or regiment during the Civil War and they were essentially merchants that had entered into a contract to sell non-military issued personal goods and provisions such as candy, writing supplies, games, food, toiletries etc. The soldier would give the sutler his pay and in exchange get these tokens in to pay for goods from his store or keep as change for his next purchase. Often sutlers would up charge on items or hold a soldier’s pay due to the dangers of working within a combat area. Nevertheless, sutlers were often unpopular among the men and even subject to raids by soldiers on their supply tents and stores, often while the commanders or superiors would sit back without intervening. Therefore the sutlers were often remembered unfavorably following the war and few tokens survived or were kept as souvenirs and most of them were likely discarded. Not to mention the tokens were circulating in camps and carried into battle, making their loss and disappearance much more common.

Thanks for letting me know! I had received an offer on the token, hence the difference between the shown price of $499 and my paid $300. It seems like what I paid was right in line with some of those other examples and compared with the 2010 sale of the AU53, $47 dollars doesn’t seem like such a bad price increase to have to fork over considering over a decade separates the two sales. Regardless, I think that sutler tokens are still undervalued when considering the role they played in the life of a soldier during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the United States in the Civil War. I appreciate you posting those sale records for me!

Hi all, Just picked up my first sutler token. I’d been on the hunt for an artifact from the American Civil War as many of my historical interests lie there. I looked at various areas of items and artifacts before settling on the token. I find sutler tokens to be tremendous pieces of history… The fact that a soldier used this token during war and exchanged it with his sutler for the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteers so that he could procure items to make military life more bearable and comfortable is fascinating. If only the token could talk… who held it, what fields of battle has it seen, what was it exchanged for? We will never know but the fact that it survived and made it through the war is astounding and it certainly has a story to tell! After digging, I was also able to find information pertaining to the sutler himself in Joseph A. Garman. From what I’ve read, Garman was from Stoystown Pennsylvania and was born around 1810-1815. He was also a member of the Somerset Lodge #84 A. Y. M. of the Odd Fellows. On the outset of war, Garman was contracted to be the sutler for the 54th PA Vols. Garman served as sutler until his capture by Confederate forces on May 2, 1864 while attempting to procure supplies in Martinsburg, West Virginia for his men. In fact there is a letter from President Lincoln to General Ethan A. Hitchcock requesting information and updates regarding Garman’s whereabouts and well-being as he had not been heard from since May 19th. Garman would end up being paroled or exchanged from a Confederate prison sometime either in 1864 or 1865. Apparently he succumbed to injuries and poor health sustained in the prison and died only a few days after. It is also noted that after Garman’s death, the charter for his Odd Fellow Lodge was lost as well and disappeared. Although I acquired the coin due to its history and unique connection to the American Civil War, I am curious as to it’s value if anyone might be able to shed some light for me? It is graded NGC AU 53 and I was able to pick it up for $300 even, which I thought was a good deal for a sutler such as this and in this grade. I tried to do my best research, however, I’m still very much in the dark. Attached below are images of the token:

The coin arrived a few days ago and I couldn’t be more thrilled! This is one heck of a piece of history! Thanks for all the kind greetings and the help concerning the coin’s condition and the answers about the planchet cracks. It’s all very much appreciated! I’ve attached some photos of the fugio in a tad bit better light.

Thank you. I’m glad that those are planchet flaws, as I was a little worried at first. I agree, it definitely adds a bit of character.

Thank you! Part of the reason for pursuing a graded example was for the protection offered by the holder. I think the coin will most likely be kept on a stand on my desk for display where I can see it and enjoy it! Even though it has those cracks, it adds an extra layer of history and gives insight into that early process of coining, which is pretty awesome!

Beautiful! Very cool!

Thank you! That would definitely make sense. Now, should I worry about those cracks and further degradation? I figure that being in a relatively stable environment within the holder, it should be okay but I want to make sure I do what I can to preserve the coin if need be.

Hi all, First post on the NGC forums after reading for a while, so happy to be here! I just picked up my first big coin after becoming a newly minted (no pun intended) college graduate and earning my bachelors degree in history. My studies focused on early United States history and focused on the Revolutionary War era stretching back to the late 1730s and into the beginning of the 19th century. Ever the history student, I had been satisfying my innate curiosity when I learned about the fugue cent and its fascinating history. Please feel free to share other examples, but I can't think of many other early United States coins that have such a story and as many historical factors associated with it! For instance, it is the only United States federal coin issued under the Articles of Confederation, was designed in part by Benjamin Franklin and struck and produced as the Constitution was being debated and ratified by the states. In addition it has been reported that the copper from which the coins were struck came from copper bands which held together barrels of gunpowder sent over from the French during the Revolutionary War. I have also read that due to the coin's colorful and troubled production history with James Jarvis, it led in part to the establishment of the U.S. Mint in order for the Government to have a stricter and better regulated way to produce National currency. To me, this is all utterly fascinating! As you can bet, I really worked my magic to try and procure an example. Now for me, the history is the most important factor, not necessarily grade or value. Being the novice that I am, my head started to spin upon seeing the various examples and prices... oh the prices! I tried doing my best due diligence to find a graded example but wasn't too pleased with what I would be getting getting for around $300 and the pickings were quite slim. That's when upon sharing my enthusiasm for history and excitement about the fugio cents with a fellow collector, I was offered an extremely generous deal on an example. The coin was extremely low grade at "VF DETAILS" and carried with it a notation of "environmental damage" but regardless, it was a fugio. Even better was that it was of the "United States" variety rather than of the "STATES UNITED" which I enjoy. On top of that, the major details are present as is its undisputed authenticity which was by far the most important factor. The coin is now the cornerstone of my registry set add first graded coin I've picked up and I'm super excited to share it here in my debut post! With that said, I do have a few questions about the coin... what exactly might the environmental damage be on this coin? Also, I noticed cracks running diagonally along the reverse of the coin. Would this be due to a planchet flaw/crack or something else entirely and relate to the environmental damage? Thanks for reading!