Only in two periods of American history has the need for a private token coinage been absolute, that is because the reigning authority proved unable to provide a circulating medium of exchange sufficient to the needs of commerce. The Civil War was one such period.

        From the years 1862 to 1865 metallic coin was slowly being withdrawn from circulation. Citizens were anticipating the possible increase in metal values and began hoarding gold, silver and copper. This phenomenon forced merchants and tradesmen to issue their own tokens in order that trade and commerce might continue unimpeded.

        These copper and brass tokens remained largely underappreciated by mainstream U.S. coin collectors well into the twentieth century. George and Melvin Fuld's "Patriotic Civil War Tokens," published in 1960, helped to direct the spotlight on these interesting little tokens and collectors began to take notice. With the 150^th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sumpter around the corner, the hobby focus on Civil War Tokens is more intense than ever. Please take a moment to peruse our offerings.