Help!!! What Is This Coin Or Token

Does it look like this one?

There are 6 basic designs featuring the drum and cannons such as described. These are patriotic civil war tokens, and have several different reverse slogans. All with this particular design are quite common for CWT's, but are quite collectable.
Depending on condition, they range from $7 to $25.

Hope that helps

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Originally posted by Morgan Fred
I can remember finding at least one in circulation as recently as the 1950s.

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You just spawned a great idea for me....Thanks! At each show we attend, I place many "collectable" coins into circulation, and placing a few CWT's for a monster store promotion is a wonderful idea.
So once the official announcement is made for our store opening, maybe everyone here will want to "plan" a vacation to the Tax Free shopping state.....

quote:

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Originally posted by TylersDad

Thats it the same one that I have any idea of what it is worth?

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Depending on condition, they range from $7 to $25

My thought was to advertise in the local newspapers that certain coins were placed into circulation, along with a "bring it in" special. If you have found one of the listed coins (insert list) bring it into the shop for a prize.
Also announce that "certain" coins were placed into circulation for "Collection purposes". I have been quietly stockpiling a few obsolete coins along with collector favorites just for this purpose.
I have a meeting with a local bank to pass out "foriegn currency" with deposits.

It is my hope to cause quite the stir within the community. I am still working on the idea of 1 special coin being placed out there simular to the 1922 Cent placed into the CoinFest event.

My thinking, (as of now) would be a semi key Liberty nickel, or another key in the Lincoln series. It would have to be a circulated example as to not devalue too much.

I am open to suggestions.....Had another thought..see forthcoming poll.

"... there's dozens of different types..."

There are over 10,000 different id numbers for cwts. I don't recall the specific number offhand, but something like 70 or 80 percent of cwt varieties have 20 or less known to exist.

A small number were issued in the South, but are typically scarce and highly valued.

I forgot to mention in the above post that some of the non-copper issues of 299/350 could realize prices in the thousands of dollars.

I use four primary references for cwts - for Store Cards "U.S. Civil War Store Cards", Second edition, by George and Melvin Fuld. (1975)

For Patriotics "Patriotic Civil War Tokens" Fourth Revised edition, by George and Melvin Fuld. (1982)

Also for Patriotics "Die Photos & Fuld/Moore Listings Update of 4th Revised Edition of Patriotic Civil War Tokens" by George and Melvin Fuld. (1993)

For additional information on both types, as well as the only comprehensive price guide that I am aware of for cwts "The Civil War Token Collectors Guide" by Bryon Kanzinger. (2002) This is an excellent reference, as are the preceeding, but this one is written to be used in conjunction with the Fulds' books, not strictly as a stand alone reference.

These last three references all list the 299/350a token as rarity 2.

I also have "Civil War Tokens and Tradesmen's Store Cards" by George Hetrich and Julius Guttag. (Copyrighted 1924, Reprinted 1968). While a rather obsolete reference, some of the die photos have clearer, but smaller images than Fuld's. I mostly use it when considering tokens from old collections which were id'd before the Fuld system was instituted. This catalog does not provide rarity numbers.

The first cwt books I bought were the Fuld's little black books for Patriotic and Storecards. They were approximately 100 pages each and printed in the early '60s. IMO the Patriotic one is marginal at best (however, it does have a convenient cross reference for Fuld/H & G numbers) and the store card book is essentially worthless and I would not really recommend either of them to anyone. The Patriotic book shows the 299/350a as an R-2.

Rulau's "Standard Catalog of United States Tokens 1700-1900", 2nd, 3rd, & 4th editions are also in my library, and they each have a section for cwts. I will guess this is the reference you used, as the 299 die is listed as an R1, and the 350 die as an R2. If this is the reference you use for cwts, I can only say - DON'T! (except for Civil War cardboard pieces). In the preface to the cwt section, Rulau indicates that his cwt listing is far from complete as he did not wish for the cwt section of the book to be the dominating portion of this already large book. His listings of store cards, for example, only lists the most common example for any given merchant. I have picked up many a rare cwt that was misidentified as a common because Rulau's catalog was used to id the token. Some merchants issued over 200 varieties, yet Rulau only lists one.

I have additional references for other Civil War era exonumia (such as encased postage stamps, Sutler tokens, Confederate War Bonds, Indian and Post Trader tokens and paper currency). If you want those titles as well, let me know. Or if you (or anyone) want me to check on something for you, just let me know.