Civil War Tokens: Emergency Money From a Nation at War

When Merchants Made Their Own Money

During the Civil War, coin hoarding created a severe currency shortage. Gold disappeared first, then silver, then even copper-nickel cents vanished from circulation. Into this void stepped thousands of Northern merchants who commissioned privately struck tokens to make change.

Civil War Store Cards feature merchant advertisements, business names, and addresses — they're essentially the Yellow Pages of 1860s America stamped on copper. Over 10,000 varieties exist, cataloged by the Fuld numbering system. Patriotic Civil War Tokens carry political slogans, portraits of generals, and pro-Union messages.

Beyond Civil War tokens, the exonumia field includes Hard Times Tokens (1830s), Brunk-cataloged counterstamped coins (merchant punches applied to circulating coins), U.S. Mint medals, and an enormous range of merchant tokens and commemorative medals.

Token Talk

• Do you collect Civil War tokens, or other exonumia?
• Store cards or patriotic tokens — which type appeals to you more?
• Have you ever found an interesting token or medal at a flea market or coin show?
• What's the most historically interesting token or medal in your collection?