Civil War Tokens: When Americans Made Their Own Money

During the Civil War, Americans hoarded gold, silver, and copper coins. By 1862, small change disappeared. Merchants issued their own copper tokens, accepted as cents.

Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced in thousands of varieties. Some featured political slogans like Army and Navy or Not One Cent. The government outlawed private tokens in 1864.

Civil War tokens are collected for their variety and historical charm..