Expert: Ronald Fern - 1/27/2011

Question
I have an 1805 cent large"S" draped bust with the name "Stanton" stamped through the face and the wheat symbol on the back. any idea of it's value? next is the token, it is dated 1863 witth the union flag on the face and the back has the words: "If anyone attempts to tear it down shoot him on the spot" and then the name DIX in the center...ANY information you give will be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hi David:

Thanks for your multiple question.

On the 1805 Large Cent, sounds like you have a counter stamped coin. This was done after it left the mint, and is considered an altered coin. A counterstamp was often a way of cheap advertising and was much more common on U.S. large cents (made 1793 to 1857) than on any other coins.  This was probably because their size allowed larger counterstamps.  The idea was that I would stamp my business name or product on the cent and then it would be free advertising as people spent the cent and noticed my name on it.  

They are collectible and usually have some value (try going to www.ebay.com and www.google.com and doing searches for counterstamp coin or variations with penny and cent).  The most value are for counterstamps that are identifiable to the business that advertised by stamping on the coin.

It's hard to establish when it was done or what the "S" or "Stanton" counter stamp means on your coin. One Stanton was the Secretary of War under Lincoln. Common date, circulated Large Cents go for about $15 to $20, so your piece could be worth about $5 more to an interested collector.

The second piece is known as a patriotic civil war token. The common ones are small cent size and struck in copper or brass. They were used as substitutes for small coinage that disappeared during the war and were used for change. They were struck by private mints to help the coin shortage merchant's were facing due to hoarding. During the war, people started to hold gold and silver coinage and then copper coins were taken out of circulation.

There are two types of civil war tokens, merchant, often with the name, address of the business and a design of what the person sold or dealt with, and patriotic, often with a war related theme. Most were made of copper, and exchanged for one cent in merchandise or value. They came in two sizes, large cent and small cent. Many had "Not One Cent" on one side and the design was very similar to the Indian cents struck during that time. Your token is one of the better known Patriotic tokens, and there are several varieties.

Millions of tokens were struck, and there are over 10,000 different varieties and die combinations of these made during our civil war (1863-4). The tokens are ranked in rarity for common, R-1 (over 5,000 remaining) to R-10 (unique, 1 known). Rarity and condition, along with metal type are the determining factors as to the value of your token. Common circulated R-1 and R-2 tokens trade regularly in the $15-$20 range, with Uncirculated examples bringing up to $60-$75.

"Dix" refers to MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN A. DIX. On the election of General Pierce to the Presidency he first selected General Dix for his Secretary of State. But, as is well known, the leaders of the Southern democracy, of the Mason and Slidell school, protested so violently against his appointment that it was never made. The same influence prevented his appointment as Minister to France, which had been offered to him as an inducement for him to accept for a while the local office of Assistant-Treasurer of the United States in the city of New York. On the appointment of Mr. John Y. Mason, of Virginia, to the French embassy Mr. Dix resigned the office of Assistant-Treasurer, and withdrew almost wholly from politics.

Early in 1859 enormous defalcations having been discovered in the New York City Post-office, and the defaulting Postmaster having absconded, President Buchanan appointed General Dix to that office, and urged its acceptance on the ground that the public interests required the appointment of some man of the highest character and reputation for integrity and administrative ability. Mr. Dix yielded to these representations, and accepted the office. In January, 1861, the treachery and dishonesty of Floyd, Cobb, & Co., of the first Buchanan Cabinet, having reached their climax, and ended in the withdrawal or flight of those traitors from Washington, and the financial embarrassments of the Government requiring the appointment of a Secretary of the Treasury in whose probity, patriotism, skill, and efficiency the whole country could and would confide, General Dix was called to that high office, and entered on its duties January 15, 1861.

On the 18th January, 1861, three days after General Dix took charge of the Treasury Department, he sent a special agent to New Orleans and Mobile for the purpose of saving the revenue vessels at those ports from seizure by the rebels. The most valuable of these vessels, the Robert McClelland, at New Orleans, was commanded by Captain John G. Breshwood, with S. B. Caldwell as his lieutenant. Breshwood refused to obey the orders of General Dix's agent, Mr. Jones; and on being informed of this refusal, the Secretary telegraphed as follows; "If any man pulls down the American flag, shoot him on the spot!"

There is a specialized group who collect and deal specifically with this type of token. The link:
http://cwtsociety.com/

Another link listing tokens and there prices: http://mysite.verizon.net/resqje2x/classicnumismatics2/id14.html

You may want to check eBay listings in the exonumia category under coins & currency from time to time to see if tokens or coins like yours are listed and what they are going for.

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Thank You and Good Luck in your collecting.