Civil War Token blank

[danemark]

Hello all, just a question on Civil War tokens and the blanks used to produce them. How were they sourced and were they of specific size and weight? I ask as I found a Civil War Patriotic Token - 1863 - recently and at the same site, not no 20 feet away I found what I believe may be a blank. I weighed both the token and blank and they were very close in weight - less than .1 gram difference. The token had a slightly larger diameter and both had the same thickness (visual comparison) though the blank has a slight bend to it. Do hand struck tokens grow slightly when struck? I actually thought it was a token when I first dug it, but looking closer it appears completely blank. Thanks for the help.

 

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[nova]

Just my two cents worth,
slug plate

 

[idahotokens]

Welcome to the group, danemark. Tokens - all tokens, including Civil War ones - were manufactured by various companies and individuals, and therefore there was no standard size or weight or material. At the time Civil War tokens were in use, there was no need for standardization like there is today so they would work in vending machines. Few tokens were hand-struck - machines functioning as coining presses were in use in many of the companies that struck tokens. There are a number of tokens that have hand-struck (incused) lettering on a blank planchet.
John in the Great 208

 

[danemark]

Thanks much for the replies. Thinking a bit more about what Nova suggested, I went and checked the blank again. I first just checked if it was magnetic (it is not). I took the Civil War token and the blank and air tested them both with the Etrac. The Civil War token, it read 12-44. Testing the blank it read 12-32. I am unsure the type of material slug plates are made of, if they would ring up in this range. Thanks much.

 

[Bramblefind]

Could the site be researched to see what was going on there in during the Civil War era?

Which CWT did you find? Even the Patriotic dies can sometimes be traced to a particular shop.

 

[danemark]

Hey Bramblefind, the lots (2 old houses torn down in preparations for a bank parking lot) are in a village that was Northeast Wisconsin along a major river. Pretty much wilderness (except for Indian villages) until the 1840's when a Dutch missionary started a church and brought Dutch immigrants to the New World. A plank road was built to a major military fort to the Northeast shortly afterwards. In the 1850 a series of canals and locks were built that helped establish water travel in the area. So I am guessing things were moving around a bit during that time. There was a building on this land at least on a late 1800's map. I am checking with the historical society. I had also found a tag there. It appears to be a room tag of sorts. A round tag with a hole drilled in it (to hang on a hook?) with a number "8" stamped on it . It has writing specific to the town along with a business. Thinking it maybe a hotel room tag?? Not sure. The token was sort of rough looking but I attached a pic anyways along with a sample of the type.
Thanks much.

 

[Bramblefind]

Thanks for the info. Cool find! That CWT is thought to have been issued by Charles D. Horter out of New York City. These tokens were sold by NYC agents by advertisements published across the country so a store in that small town could have bought a number of them to use as small change. It may be that a blank was mixed into the shipment accidentally.

However it is also possible it is a slug plate or something like that as Nova said. A blank disc the size of a cent could have passed in commerce during that time - there was an anything goes period. I would hang onto it because you never know... and if more turn up then it might be worth some further investigation.

The tag might be a "tool tag"..? It's always neat to find something associated with the location you are digging. It sounds like a fun site! I hope you get a chance to work with it for a while longer before it is paved over.

 

[danemark]

Thanks much on the origins of the token. Never knew that small town stores bought them. I wonder where they all ended up. Also never really thought of a tool tag...great idea. I am going to run that down as I really find it interesting. The blank may just remain a mystery, which sometime happens. I hope to get another shot at the lot yet this weekend. Progressively dig more and more iffy signals there, learning more about the Etrac. That is the beauty if a tore up lot...dig like crazy and find all sots of things. Thanks again for the responses.