Why Did I Pay $1k For A Porous, Unearthed 1860 Indian Cent?

The history behind some of the coins I see on CCF amazes me. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, but this is a specialized area, like error coins or varieties. If one looks at auction prices, the price I paid is reasonable. Considering the small number of these c/s's outstanding, the time to try and buy such an item is when the opportunity presents itself, methinks.

Having collected Civil War tokens for almost sixty years now, this Confederate c/s has cross-collecting or bilateral appeal to me. This item is a prime example of how an historic c/s can elevate the value of an otherwise $1 coin. I'm guessing that the metal detectorist who likely found it was elated by its value.

Coincidentally, another specimen of this c/s just came to auction. While the host coin is in better shape, the strength of the stamping, full lettering, is comparable to mine.

This seller is a go-to-guy and market-maker for Civil War tokens in particular. Here's a link: https://www.civilwartokens.com/Even...il-War-token

@bikergeek .... I share your frustration about the abundance of posts on counterfeits, and I'll try to post some more counterstamps.

Second that! I'll keep my on the auction.

@ Coinfrog ..... You might enjoy watching some of the other auction lots. Fascinating Civil War era stuff, this.

Incredible coin, I enjoyed reading this story. Thank you for sharing the history.

I saw a Wealth of the South Confederate civil war token for the first time the other day and was impressed. I would love to see a collection of Confederate tokens, too bad they are pricey!

These enthusiastic responses to my counterstamp posts are much appreciated. I'll endeavor to do more as time passes.

The counterstamps, be they on early coins, tokens and/or banknotes, put the hosting currency in context of the times in which it circulated. The mystery is what I find alluring. It's not simply the who, what, when and where questions that intrigue me. The why, why was this currency stamped, question is the ultimate grabber for me. Why did so-and-so inflict damage to this piece? Sometimes the answer is obvious but often, not so.

With these Schiller c/s's, it is obvious that he needed to make change for his customers at the Sazerac House. So, he creatively redenominated the coins, creating IOU's of sorts. Then too, he issued some higher denomination paper scrip toward that end. There's also the Civil War connection. It's not simply the military aspect but also the economic hardship created by the war that resulted in many forms of emergency money; this, what we today classify as exonumia. Lastly, we can also gather insight into the activities and surroundings of the individual who once possessed the specific coin or token. For me, all of these aspects converge to make studying and collecting c/s's a compelling pursuit.

The Schiller c/s was admittedly pricey; this, the consequence of its cross-collector appeal. That said, there are a great many c/s's that are much scarcer and not classified as Confederate Civil War tokens; these, that can be had for but a small fraction of what the Schiller pieces fetch. There are likely a good many Confederate and otherwise historic counterstamps out there that have yet to be attributed. This genre remains one of the most fertile, as-yet-to-be-explored numismatic avenues out there. This old-timer looks forward to seeing more collectors go where I've long ventured.