My First Token! 1863 Army / Navy - Your Thoughts Please!

Nice token!

I see it too, looks like some repunching on the '1' also. I've only got 3 CW tokens 2 of which I came across by accident. Great US history item.

Congrats OIH! Terrific specimen! Thanks for sharing.

I'm quite sure your example is a Fuld 13/297a, Fuld-R-2 (2001-5000 specimens estimated to remain in existence.) The positioning of the tip of Minerva's cap adjacent to the top star, the star's orientation, and the re-punched '3' are diagnostic indicators. On its reverse, the proximity of the handles underneath 'N' and 'Y' are indicators.

If had to venture to estimate from your photos, IMO it's at least AU+, perhaps even higher in grade. The Minerva head on your obverse is a beautiful example, with the date appearing to have been re-punched.

If you would like more info on Rarity 'R' scales, you can find it here: http://www.novanumismatics.com/arti...arities.html

This link here talks a bit about the genesis of CW Patriotics: http://www.novanumismatics.com/arti...atics29.html

If you decide to pursue further, the book Patriotic Civil War Tokens 5th Edition, Fuld, Krause Publications, (c)2005 is a great resource to have.

Good buy at a decent price. Cheetah nailed the variety, and I concur with his observation. There are many varieties, showing Liberty, wearing the Phrygian cap of freedom.

This token is typical for the variety. Many sellers of CWT's tout the die errors as being something unusual when indeed, they're not. In many such cases, the errors are so common that there are collectors who will pay a premium for a non-error, early die state token. Some CWT collectors seek varying die states as do many early copper collectors. One can easily build a collection of CWT errors as there are so many common tokens that display a wide variety of errors.

A more difficult route would be to try and collect all 11,000 or so different varieties! You might better opt for a type set. You can probably find a 1960 Whitman book on patriotics by Fuld that pictures the majority of dies known. These older versions with black card covers typically sell in the $10 range. Otherwise, the 4th edition patriotic book is a good investment and has a good deal of information between the pages. Joining the Civil War Token Society is a good idea, too. You might want to visit Steve Hayden's CWT website to see some amazing pieces as well! What with this being the sesquicentennial year of the Civil War, interest in these old tokens seems to be mounting.