Prohibition & Civil War Tokens 0

[EagleRJO]

I see a lot of prohibition & civil war tokens dated mid to late 1800's being offered for sale that are not that much, and I was thinking about getting a few that I like and relate to my home state.

I was curious if any collect these tokens, and where they may be available besides eBay.  Also, my LCS doesn't carry them, and there aren't any coin shows in my area until later in Jan 2023.

https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/tokens-and-medals/civil-war-patriotic-tokens/

Edited December 13, 2022 by EagleRJO

[Redline68]

I've noticed the prohibition tokens but don't specifically look for them and can't recall where I've seen them.

There were many New York civil war store cards produced and, other than the sources you mentioned, they often can be found a handful at a time on online sites (example: NE Numismatics) or occasionally online auctions other than ebay: https://www.civilwartokens.com/Event/Details/3295019/Auction-49/C176775-C176787/Civil_War_Store_Cards-New_York 

I don't specifically collect civil war store cards but I do have a couple dozen New York tokens that I've picked up from time to time. There are also a few patriotic civil war tokens that mention New York and many patriotics that were created by Emil Sigel in New York City who himself and his brother Franz (The Hero of Pea Ridge) have an interesting history.

 

 

 

 

 

[EagleRJO]

@Redline68thanks for the info.  I like the Knickerbocker token as there is a lot of NY City history related to that name including a well known beer and an NBA team (shortened to NY Nicks).

[Coinbuf]

Some of these that are certified show up at the major auction houses now and then, you might keep an eye on the Stacks auctions as I think they do more in this area.   Buying raw I have no idea as I'm not a collector of tokens myself.

[EagleRJO]

On 12/13/2022 at 11:31 AM, Coinbuf said:

Some of these that are certified show up at the major auction houses now and then

I just checked Great Collections and Heritage Auctions.  I had thought the tokens were not valuable enough to auction them, but there are dozens of these tokens coming up for auction between the two, even though my preference would be raw tokens of which HA does have a few raw ones.  

[Just Bob]

Check Steve Hayden at Civilwartokens.com.   He sells on eBay, and has auctions and catalog sales on his website. I have bought from him in the past with no issues. He always has top notch pieces - usually some R8s and R9s, as well as finest known pieces, and pieces from well known collections.

Also, the Civil War Token Society has auctions for members on its website.

 

[RWB]

Tokens were among the earliest numismatic items subjected to study and cataloging. The fad moved from England and the continent to America.

[EagleRJO]

@Just BobThanks for the referral.  Steve Hayden has a lot of nice tokens, but most look a little rich for my blood.  It seems like eBay is really the place to go for those tokens.

[Fenntucky Mike]

On 12/13/2022 at 6:29 PM, EagleRJO said:

@Just BobThanks for the referral.  Steve Hayden has a lot of nice tokens, but most look a little rich for my blood.  It seems like eBay is really the place to go for those tokens.

I've picked up several tokens off of ebay over the years but have been getting my teeth kicked in lately! Tokens I would have expected to be in the $20 range have been going for 10x what I would have expected. No tokens for me lately.  There are several online sellers if you search around but they can be a little salty as well. 

The best luck I've had for local tokens is garage/yard sales, auctions and the like. Usually plenty of good material there, including paper, and for good prices most of the time. 

[Jay Carpenter]

On 12/13/2022 at 11:35 AM, EagleRJO said:

I see a lot of prohibition & civil war tokens dated mid to late 1800's being offered for sale that are not that much, and I was thinking about getting a few that I like and relate to my home state.

I was curious if any collect these tokens, and where they may be available besides eBay.  Also, my LCS doesn't carry them, and there aren't any coin shows in my area until later in Jan 2023.

https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/tokens-and-medals/civil-war-patriotic-tokens/

My search for rare and historically significant coins has become my new passion. I study every coin, the historical evidence on their surface is simply impressive. Last year in college, I read an essay on this student aid writing resource. It was a story about coins from the Civil War. The topic captured me so much that I decided to start collecting them. Although I still have a very small collection, but each coin tells a unique story of that time, reflects the lifestyle and significance of events. My heart beats faster when I add a new coin to my collection. This is not just a hobby, this is an immersion in the past, which comes to life before my eyes.

My father purchased a Civil War coin from a Philadelphia coin show in the mid-1970s. He was always proud of his discovery and told interesting stories related to this period in the history of the United States. Unfortunately, it was lost during the move.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Jay Carpenter

[powermad5000]

I don't officially collect tokens, but I got some Chicago store cards off eBay for very cheap. Some for $2. Most in fantastic condition. I did send one in my last submission to NGC as they actually had it listed in the price guide. I sent it to NCS to have it stabilized but it may be the one they did not do anything to because out of the five I sent for conservation only one was not conserved. I am hoping when it comes back it will be the top graded.