(1850s) German Silver Token Rulau Va-22, James E. Wolff VA

Coin Details

Description

German silver merchant token issued by James E. Wolff of Petersburg, Virginia, produced in the 1850s. This is the German silver (nickel silver alloy) variety of the Wolff merchant token, distinguished from the copper Va-18 issue. The choice of German silver gave this token a more distinguished silvery appearance compared to the copper version, serving as an elevated presentation piece within the series. Wolff was a wholesale and retail dealer in hats, caps, and furs at No. 17 Sycamore Street. During the Civil War, Wolff raised a militia company and was elected captain; in June 1864, while fighting Federal forces south of Petersburg, his company was decimated — only 47 of 125 troops survived unscathed, and Wolff himself was captured and held as a prisoner of war. Virginia merchant tokens from the antebellum period are among the scarcest state attributions in the Rulau catalog. German silver, 26mm, plain edge.

Rarity Notes

Rare. German silver variety of the James E. Wolff Virginia merchant token series, distinguished from the copper Va-18. Southern merchant tokens in German silver are quite unusual, as most Southern merchants who issued tokens preferred copper or brass. Collected by Virginia numismatists and specialists in antebellum Southern exonumia.

Cross References

Rulau Va-22; PCGS #966997