Expert: PAPAJACK - 3/18/2009

Question
I have found a coin that I can not find anywhere on the Internet. It is from 1863 and is about the size of a penny. On the side with the date it has a man's portrait with two flags coming out diagonally from his neck. Around him on both sides are 5 stars, adding to 10. There might be more but maybe a centimeter of the coin looks smashed at the top, or melted. On the other side, there is the word "Exchange" in the middle. At the bottom of the coin there seems to be a chest with it looks like two guns crossing behind it. Along the edges of this side are what seems to be wheat or corn. That's about all that is on the coin. It would be awesome if you could help.

Answer
Hello Alex,                 

Is there any other lettering on the piece?
Can you send a high resolution picture?

Yours does sound like a Patriotic Exchange Token, but without seeing it I cannot be sure.

I am not an expert on Tokens and Medals; I know that what you describe is not a coin. The mint does produce some medals to this day but from your description I could not match any.

I cannot say if yours is a mint product or made by a private company.
I know of no one book that covers all the different medals made. They are not all cataloged in one place.

There is the Token and medal Society (TAMS) that may be able to help.
www.tokenandmedal.org/
There are also these other sites that promote the Medalic Arts.
www.exonumia.com and  www.medalcollectors.org
Sorry I cannot tell you more, I hope this information helps.

Good Luck