(1861-65) Brass Civil War Sutler Token S-103-10B, A. Krebs-Pilkington

Coin Details

Description

Civil War sutler token issued by A. Krebs, sutler to the 103rd Regiment. This 10-cent brass piece functioned as camp scrip, exchangeable for provisions and sundries at the sutler's traveling store. Sutler to a 103rd regiment, whose brass 10-cent token (S-103-10B) was manufactured by the die sinker Pilkington. Pilkington was a lesser-known die sinker whose work appears on a small number of sutler tokens, making the Krebs token notable for its manufacturer attribution. Dies were cut by Pilkington of Unknown. Struck in brass, reflecting the standard material selection for military camp currency of this era. The alloy produced sharply struck tokens that have held up well over more than a century and a half, with many pieces retaining fine detail. Issued during the Civil War era when federal coin hoarding created intense demand for privately struck camp currency. Sutler issues constitute the scarcest of the three Civil War token families, with significantly lower survival rates than the more commonly encountered patriotic and store card types. The April and June 1864 anti-token laws ended legal production of sutler tokens, and Congress completed the process by abolishing sutlers entirely in 1866.

Rarity Notes

Schenkman S-103-10B. All sutler tokens are rated R-5 or higher on the Fuld rarity scale (fewer than 200 surviving examples of any given variety). Brass strikes are common for sutler tokens. An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 sutler token pieces survive across all varieties.

Cross References

Schenkman S-103-10B