• Civil War tokens are coins that were privately minted and distributed in the United States between 1862 and 1864. The wide spread use of the tokens was a result of the scarcity of government issued cents during the Civil War. By 1862, the second year of the Civil War, government-issued coinage began vanishing from circulation. American citizens hoarded all coins with gold and silver, and eventually began hoardingcopper-nickel cents as well. This made it extremely difficult for businesses to operate. In response, many merchants turned to private minters to fill the void left by the hoarded coins. • On April 22, 1864, Congress enacted the Coinage Act of 1864. While the act is most remembered for the introduction of the phrase "In God We Trust" on the newly created two-cent piece, it also effectively ended the usage of Civil War tokens. While the Coinage Act made Civil War tokens impractical, the issue of their legality was decided on June 8, 1864, when Congress enacted 18 U.S.C. § 486, which made the minting and usage of non-government issued coins punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, a prison term of up to five years, or both. It did not make it illegal to own Civil War tokens, however, and evidence exists that the tokens were viewed as collectibles as early as 1863. Patriotic Civil War tokens typically displayed a patriotic slogan or image on one or both sides. Since the majority of these tokens were minted in Union states, the slogans and images were decidedly pro-Union. Some common examples of slogans found on patriotic tokens are "The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved," "Union For Ever," and "Old Glory". |