Sutler Token Fort Laramie
blu62vette
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This coin came in the other day and I think it is just real cool so I wanted to share. I shot one several years ago and have always remembered it. Thanks to Rick Snow for giving me some info on it.
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The Penny Lady®
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
I don't know much about their usage but would like to learn.
Obverse: S.E. Ward Sutler U.S.A. / Good For / 50c / In Suttlers / Goods / Fort Laramie D.T. Reverse: blank. Curto DT70. 33mm, copper, well struck, EF condition, mahogany toned, a small amount of verdigris center left edge. "Seth E. Ward was the fort's sutler from 1857 to 1863 and then from 1865 to 1867 when he was retitled post trader; he retired in 1871; a substantial hoard of the S.E. Ward tokens surfaced in 1994, and consequently, values are to be considered speculative." (Cunningham) DT80b. At the age of twenty-four, Seth Ward, was already a veteran fur trapper on the plains. After the rendevous of fur traders in St. Louis, Ward went to work for Robert Campell and his partner, William Sublette. Ward worked for Campbell for ten years. At that time he "gained a lucrative contract as 'post sutler' - the merchant given the . . . Exclusive trading privileges - at Fort Laramie. Appointed in 1857 by Secreatry of War Jefferson Davis (later president of the Confederacy during the Civil War), Ward stayed on in that post until 1871" [Roberts, "Trader Seth Ward's Blizzard of a Lifetime," no page]. Ward retired to Missouri with his wife and ran a farm that was close to Kansas City. He was a prominent citizen there who held positions on the boards of corporations and banks as well as being active in volunteerism. Roberts' records, "Ward died in 1903" [Roberts, "Trader Seth Ward's Blizzard of a Lifetime," no page].
Also i read the reverse is called a mirrored reverse, not a brockage since it was meant to look that way.
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Also i read the reverse is called a mirrored reverse, not a brockage since it was meant to look that way. >>
I've seen other tokens medals made like this intentionally... it is possible they were done that way because the other side was going to be covered up with something else like a sticker or would otherwise not be seen. I believe I read something to that effect when researching the HK-832 Whipple Dollar with the Morgan Dollar reverse design.
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<< <i>Also i read the reverse is called a mirrored reverse, not a brockage since it was meant to look that way. >>
Cool. I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
<< <i>What was the period of use of these tokens? Why were they used instead of regular coins? Were they sold at discounts to insure future business?
I don't know much about their usage but would like to learn. >>
Sutler's followed armies and sold goods - coffee, pens, etc.
The way this worked was the sutler would sell (essentially had to sell) on credit. To get paid, the sutler would have the soldier sign a paymasters order for the amount that was purchased. When the soldier was paid, the sutler was paid first. Eventually the credit vouchers for each sale were phased out and the paymaster orders were exchanged for the tokens that soldiers could use like money. The tokens are usually stamped with the regiment/sutler combo and they were not interchangeable. There were also scrip and cardboard tickets too.
They became illegal in 1864 but that didn't stop them from being used.
A long soak in mineral oil should lift most of the verdigris preserving it for future generations of collectors.
wow, did not know that.
bob