1865 one Dollar Token

[utahshovelhead]

Check out the pics of this coin/token/... it reads...
ONE DOLLAR coin sized the same as a silver dollar, Great advertisment say's on front, UNIVERSAL REMEDY 1865
Obverse SOUTH AMERICAN FEVER & AUGE REMEDY THE CHEAPEST AND SAFEST & ONLY PERMEMANT CURE FREE FROM ARSENIC MERCURY & MINERAL POISONS PRICE ONE DOLLAR ...Excuse the caps.

it appears to be copper but very light wieght and I can see that one side and the other side are bent over a center of some kind similar to a choclate cion with tinfoil over it except much stronger maybe over wood or some tin?

I found it in a spot here in Utah not many know about that Im trying to keep quit about as I have had very little time to detect it. It sounded like a nickle on my EX and came up from about 8 inches deep. I had just found a Buffalo nickle some 5 feet away so I thought I had a simmilar coin. As large as it is and as soft as it is made Im supprised I didnt destroy it feels like a digging tool would bend it right in half. I love surprises like that...around here that 1865 date is getting into some of my oldest coin find cattagories...the olderst being a foriegn coin of 1785 I found a few years ago.

I would love any information you may have about it or where I might read about others like it.
'
Good Luck to you,
utahshovelhead

 

[utahshovelhead]

Here are pics of the token I just wrote about.

 

[Gold Nuggets]

I'm sorry that I can't offer any help with the ID on that token
but I will off some congrats on the find. Gold Nuggets

 

[backlashd]

That's a very unique token. Congrats on the find!

 

[TokenDigger]

Very neat find. From your description, this sounds like what is known as a shellcard. These were made from two thin shells, usually made of brass and embossed with a design or legend. (This may account for your nickel like signal). Usually the center part was filled with cardboard. Most are silver dollar sized or $20 gold coin size. Some have a coin design on one side with the advertising on the other side. Some shellcards have only one shell with the advertising printed on the cardboard portion. Others have a glass mirror instead of one shell. Most were made right after the Civil War, from 1865 to about 1876. They are usually pretty collectible. I'm not sure about the company that issued yours - you may want to try Google to get more information. Thanks for sharing your piece of history.

 

[utahshovelhead]

for checkin out my first decent find in 6 months.

 

[utahshovelhead]

for lookin.

 

[utahshovelhead]

Thanks TokenDigger

I appreciate your information. Its a cool find...and Im sure what you have called a shellcard describes it well. I wonder what its value might be any guess? not that I would sell it as I love old stuff like that but just as a perk me up,
I wonder how well you do with token digging? I find tokens every so often, do you specifically target areas where you might find them or do you just tune into tokens better with your machine? just currious...
best of luck to you.

utahshovelhead

 

[TokenDigger]

It is really hard to guess what your shellcard is worth. Being dug does take away some value but if it's a rare piece, who knows? I've seen shellcards sell from $20- $200. You may want to try checking eBay to see if they have any listed and see what they bring. I did find one shellcard once - it was a political token for Gen. (then President) Grant. I donated it to a local hostile society since they really liked it adn I found it in an area that was an old mill site. I made a color copy for myself and put it in one of those coin 2x2 holders and looks almost as good as the real thing. I'm in Ohio and do find tokens occasionally, especially in areas where we did every non-iron target. Those thin brass or copper tokens don't sound like coins - sort of like pull tabs. Also, some of those little transportation tokens sound iffy - almost like Indian head cents. I don't target places for tokens since you never know where they will turn up. They really fun to find and sometimes are a lot more exciting to find than coins (like your neat shellcard for instance). By the way, there is a good book on Utah trade tokens - it's called Utah Trade Tokens by H. Robert Campbell. It was published in 1998 by All About Coins, Inc. You may be able to locate a copy on eBay or elsewhere. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Bayrat76]

Great token there. I found a couple of older tokens, love them as much as real coin.

 

[TokenDigger]

In my previous email, I meant to type historical society not "hostile" society, although some of them can be hostile at times...

 

[Derrelld]

WOW That is a sweet token Utah! I am glad you got to get out!!! I'm taking this week off from work and plan on doing a little digging myself... Keep in touch bud!!!! and GREAT find!
Derrelld

 

[utahshovelhead]

Thanks "D", nice to see your thumbs up pic again. Thanks for checkin out my post. Always like reading about your adventures.

good luck to you

utahshovelhead