Pick ups in Parsippany...Need a little help on a toekn please!

UconnL

Bought these today...

They were calling me...

The Lg Cent looked a bit off center... Same size as a reg. one...

The tokens were cool...

What is the 1859 Marshall House???

Thanks! Larry


Happy Healthy and wonderful New Year to all!

ambro51

Nice Pick Up on the Marshall House Token. These are always in Demand. The engraving was done by Robert Lovett, and uses the same French Liberty bust that was made famous on his Confederate Cent. The Marshall House was a hotel in Alexandria Virgina which became VERY famous during the earliest days of the Civil War, when Col. Elmer Ellsworth, a Zouave Officer and personal friend of Abraham Lincoln...was shot dead by the owner of the Marshall House as he was coming down the stairs having just pulled down the confederate flag.

The Marshall House token circulated freely in Richmond prior to and during the war, it was in effect a "confederate cent".

UconnL

Thank you so very much!
Very Historical~

What are these worth???
I paid $20 each... Larry

coindeuce

ambro51 - thanks for sharing the history of the Marshall House token. After reading the Wikipedia bio of Colonel Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, I finally can put to rest the misinformation that an associate of mine has been spreading about the origin of the "DIX" patriotic Civil War token. I had already provided him with the Wikipedia bio of John Adams Dix, yet he persisted in telling the factually incorrect story about the Civil War token legend "Shoot Him on the Spot".

UconnL

I love history!!
You folks are wonderful... What a great fraternity this is!

UconnL

Now you have me looking!!!
Just found this info!


The Marshall House Token by Bill Groom
Civil War tokens, of which there are around 11,000 varieties known, are generally dated between the years
of 1861-64. There are some tokens, dated 1860, that have long been recognized as belonging to that
collecting genre by virtue of their having been listed in books. Historical hairsplitting aside, there may never
be a consensus of agreement among serious collectors as to what properly defines the fabric of a Civil War
token.
For this writer’s money, the 1859-dated Marshall House token fits quite neatly into any collection of Civil
War tokens. As is the case with most Civil War tokens, the Marshall House token is cent-size copper, and
given the well-worn condition of many survivors, it generally saw circulation as a cent-substitute. Lady
Liberty is crowned with a Phrygian cap that has served as a symbol of freedom for over twenty-five hundred
years. The engraver was Robert Lovett, Jr., a Philadelphian who subsequently utilized this design element on
the famous Confederate Cent; and, many varieties of Civil War tokens as well. Beyond the obvious physical
similarity of the Marshall House token to many varieties of Civil War tokens, history has indelibly linked
this particular token to the Civil War.
The Marshall House, located in Alexandria, Virginia, still stands today, situated across the Potomac from
Washington, D.C. In 1861, the owner, James T. Jackson, a diehard Confederate, saw fit to brazenly fly the
stars and bars atop his hotel which was in view of the White House. This proved to be a more than mild
irritant to residents of Washington; especially so, following the surrender of Fort Sumter in April.
--2--
On May 24, 1861, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, then aged but twenty-four years, led his colorful Zouave
soldiers across the Potomac to take possession of Alexandria. Colonel Ellsworth, himself, took a small
detachment into the Marshall House, and he personally climbed a ladder atop the roof in order to strike the
Confederate flag. Upon descending the stairway, flag in hand, Ellsworth was met with a shotgun blast to his
breast, a mortal wound, fired by Jackson. Ellsworth’s aide, Corporal Brownell promptly dispatched Jackson.
Colonel Ellsworth thus became the first Union officer to be killed in the Civil War, and Corporal Brownell
earned national recognition as the “Avenger.” Ellsworth, whom Abe Lincoln regarded as a son, was mourned
across the northern states. “Remember Ellsworth” became a familiar patriotic slogan. His biography,
“Colonel Elmer Ellsworth” by Ruth Painter Randall, makes for interesting period reading.
It’s estimated that less than five hundred specimens of the Marshall House token have survived, and they are
rarely seen in condition that exceeds extra fine. The date, 1859, is typically weakly struck, possessing a faint
“9” in comparison to other elements. Price-wise, these tokens have tended to sell in the $30-$50 range for
midrange grades of fine. Yet, as knowledge of their Civil War connection spreads, and the sesqui- centennial
of the Civil War looms on the horizon, collector interest and value will undoubtedly grow.


COINfucious says: “Baker who carelessly drop his cents into dough may end up with penny rolls.”

ambro51

This piece is a great example how sometimes "price" takes second fiddle to historic importance. Inexpensive, yet wrapped in a mantle of the past that is all so interesting.

Now we need some better Photos!