Expert: PAPAJACK - 6/29/2008

Question
i have a coin i found in my grandma's drawer of old stuff.  it has the word liberty on front with 13 stars and a figure. the back just has a shield of hte 13 stripes/stars. the 13 stars and hte date of 1864. it is in reaaly good condition with some darkening from age, and only a small wear mark on the shield.
can you tell me a little about this coin, and if there is any value to it?

Answer
Hello Erika,                             

What you describe does indeed sound like a Civil War Token.

Tokens are not normally used as coins but this issue was made to be used instead of the one cent coin.
Since all the actual coins were missing from circulation due to the Civil War. They were being hoarded by both the north and the south.  

The heads side usually depicts an allegorical Liberty figure or sometimes a patriot like Washington and some of the strikes were very poor but from your description yours sounds nicely made.
The Stars and stripes, shield, flags, Drums, arrows and cannons were all popular designs used as well. And most have a date during the Civil War.

They sell from $8 to $12 dollars depending on the issue. Some were made in large mintages since there was hoarding of all copper, silver and gold coins during the civil war and they had to make change for everyday commerce to take place in all the states.

You can get more information about tokens from http://www.cwtsociety.com/history.html

I hope this information helps.

Good Luck

PapaJack