Any Coin Collecters Out There?

[Selastan]

As a cashier, I come across unusual coins on a weekly basis. Aside from the normal Canadian nickels and wheat pennies I get the occasional interesting piece. Today I found the first thing the internet wasn't able to help me identify, at least not exactly, and I would like to see if anyone here has any input. I don't own a camera so I can't get a picture, buts it is a very simple design.

It's a copper penny in great shape for its apparent age, the front is a circle of leaves surrounding the words: "ONE CENT". The backside of the coin is even simpler, featuring only the words "Erinnerung" at the top, "an" in the center, and the date 1863 at the bottom. I found several pictures online of a civil war coin with exact "Erinnerung" design:




but the front design doesn't match any of them. Any help?

[Vellus]

Yep, Civil war token. Could probably get $30 for it

[Selastan]

Yep, Civil war token. Could probably get $30 for it

Nice. Its not every day you get dinner for a penny!

[Beazy]

I find that Reddit has identified many coins for me in the past quite accurately. Some guys like to go into the history too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/coins/

[Captain N]

This guy is an avid coin collector and says that's gotta be worth something:

[Deleted]

i have only 2 in my collection



( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Igi]

Let me call a buddy of mine who's an expert in old coins.

[Gorgodeus]

Your Google skills need work.

http://www.coinexchangeny.com/1863-c...-h-m-lane.html
https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/eph...2/Default.aspx

[IIamaKing]

If I had to guess that coin is worth a specific amount of lamp oil from HM Lane. Couldnt find anything on the company, w/e it is, its a cool find, grats.

[Selastan]

Your Google skills need work.

http://www.coinexchangeny.com/1863-c...-h-m-lane.html

Actually very different from mine. I found a few with the kerosene on the face side, but mine is a simple "one cent".

[Aeluron Lightsong]

What happened to his hat?!?

A Bird stole it.


OT: I used to have a coin collector box but I don't know where it is anymore.

[IIamaKing]

Your Google skills need work.

http://www.coinexchangeny.com/1863-c...-h-m-lane.html
https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/eph...2/Default.aspx

I think OP is saying its a similar coin to that, but not the SAME coin. He cant get a pic.

[Gorgodeus]

Actually very different from mine. I found a few with the kerosene on the face side, but mine is a simple "one cent".

Hard to say anything when you can't provide a picture of yours, but these coins were called "storecard tokens" and were privately minted and distributed in the United States between 1861 and 1864. They were used mainly in the Northeast and Midwest. The widespread use of the tokens was a result of the scarcity of government-issued cents during the Civil War. They stopped making them in 1864 when they became illegal after the United States Congress passed a law on April 22, 1864 prohibiting the issue of any one or two-cent coins, tokens or devices for use as currency. On June 8, 1864 an additional law was passed that forbade all private coinage.

[Selastan]

I think OP is saying its a similar coin to that, but not the SAME coin. He cant get a pic.

Exactly. But thanks to yall I know kinda what it is. Now I may be able to track down a collector IRL and get an actual appraisal. I honestly hope this thread keeps going, ill eventually snap a picture of it, as well as other stuff I might come across. I see a lot of money every day, so my odds of running into something interesting are pretty high.

[Gorgodeus]

Some more info here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_token

[Selastan]

Some more info here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_token

Over 7,000 varieties? No wonder I can't find an image of my exact one...

[Gorgodeus]

Over 7,000 varieties? No wonder I can't find an image of my exact one...

Actually there were over 8,500 varieties of store cards. Storecards were issued in about 400 cities in 23, mostly Northern states. While no records were kept, catalogers George and Melvin Fuld estimate that 1 million tokens remain from an original mintage of more than 25 million.

[lockedout]

Over 7,000 varieties? No wonder I can't find an image of my exact one...

Yeah they aren't very rare in general some are obviously more rare than others but as a whole there were a lot produced. Also it isn't currency so technically you got shafted.

[Selastan]

Yeah they aren't very rare in general some are obviously more rare than others but as a whole there were a lot produced. Also it isn't currency so technically you got shafted.

Oh I know. We get Canadian currency all the time, which is also worthless, but we give it out in change rather than taking it to the bank, so it works.

[lockedout]

but we give it out in change rather than taking it to the bank, so it works.

Lol savage...