1863 Indian Cent with 13 Stars and two hands shaking on back.
By jdpowell621
@jdpowell621 (3)
United States
January 5, 2007 8:21pm CST
Would like to find information about an 1863 Indian Cent. It has 13 stars on the front with the Indian, but the Indian does not have the traditional head dress, it's more like a wrap of some sort. On the back it has two hands shaking with vines of leaves on either side of the hands. On the left hand cuff, it has the letters, s o u t, and the h is very faint. It also says Peace Forever. Can anyone tell me anything about this coin. What is it worth and where was it minted? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Debi
1 response
@swak1962 (129)
• United States
6 Jan 07
I take it that this is suppose to be a U.S. coin? From your description of it, I do not recognize it as an officially minted coint. As a guess, it could be what is known as a 'civil war token', which were minted by private merchants due to the shortage of coinage in the nation. Perhaps if you contacted Professional Coin Grading Services, their website is http://www.pcgs.com/, they might be able to help you in a more accurate accessment of what exactly you have.
@jdpowell621 (3)
• United States
7 Jan 07
Thanks for your info. I did do several searches and found out that the coin is indeed a Civil War Token. Would you happen to know what the worth of these tokens are? I'm sure that they are not much, but it's still very old.
Thanks again for you help,
Debi
@swak1962 (129)
• United States
10 Jan 07
Unfortunately, Civil War Tokens is not a field I am too familiar with. My experience of numismatics centers more upon government issued U.S coins. The value of these tokens is based upon the composition of their metal, how many were minted, and whether they were continuity minted, i.e. die errors, double strikes, or continual changes in die design. Also of consideration is the merchant who originally minted the token. Some numismatic groups are totally dedicated in collecting these tokens, and while many may not be seen too often for sale, they are commonly thrown in with collections that are sold at auction. Depending upon a prospective buyer's desire to possess such an item, value is more or less determined in what you are willing to sell it for, and what he is willing to pay for it. My suggestion is that you find a number of people who are knowledgable in this part of numismatics and get a wide range of opinion. Then, if you are willing to sell it, you have a little knowledge to base your value as a selling price.
@jdpowell621 (3)
• United States
11 Jan 07
Thanks a bunch!
You've answered a lot for me. I really do appreciate it very much
