1863 Copper Kentucky Volunteers Sutler Nickel

Coin Details

Description

Civil War sutler token issued by Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, sutler to the 21st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Struck in copper, this 5-cent token circulated as private camp currency redeemable for merchandise from the sutler. Sutler token for a Kentucky Volunteer Infantry unit, attributed through Schenkman S-21 to the 21st Kentucky. Kentucky occupied a unique position as a border state, with citizens serving on both sides. Union Kentucky regiments served primarily in the Western Theater. Regimental records document the unit's presence at several pivotal engagements that shaped the war's western campaigns. Copper tokens from this period exhibit a range of surface colors from original red to deep brown, with the specific tone determined by decades of environmental exposure. Dated 1863, near the peak of sutler token production before Congressional restrictions curbed private coinage. The sutler occupied a unique position as a government-licensed civilian merchant embedded within a military unit, providing goods that supplemented standard army rations. The postwar reorganization of 1866 abolished sutlers in favor of the post exchange system, marking the end of private military camp merchants.

Rarity Notes

All sutler tokens are rated R-5 or higher on the Fuld rarity scale (fewer than 200 surviving examples of any given variety). In copper, this variety falls within the common range for the series. An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 sutler token pieces survive across all varieties.