Token - 1861-1865 Civil War 'Our Army' PCGS MS66 Red - TOP POP

At the start of the Civil War in 1861, many citizens started hoarding their coins—copper, silver, and gold—leaving very few in circulation. Unexpectedly, coins became worth above their face value and everyday commerce virtually halted. To make up for this shortage, private coiners took it upon themselves to produce copper tokens for general circulation. They became known as Civil War Tokens (CWTs), and such pieces carried an accepted value of one cent and circulated widely until they were made illegal by an act of Congress in April of 1864.

PCGS has graded 8 of the F-51/334a ‘Our Army’ CWT as MS66RD with none finer. In total, PCGS has graded 42 examples authenticated as full RED. There are none graded MS66 in BN or RB.

Ambrotype of two young boys, one sporting a blue union cap and the other a gray confederate cap. Photo: Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons.

It is estimated that about 9,000 different obverse designs were created, struck, and used in commerce as de facto legal tender coins. Some featured advertisements on them, while others carried patriotic emblems or thoughts. This token offered by AUCM was struck with an obverse that features Lady Liberty wearing an Indian headdress, surrounded with 13 stars, and a reverse that features the phrase “Our Army” within a wreath.