Civil War Tokens - Wilson's Medal

tyler267 · September 25, 2010 12:08AM

I am just starting to collect Civil War Tokens, so I know very little about them but I find them very interesting.

There seem to be a few CWTs that have the inscription "Wilson's Medal", does anyone what this refers to and why it was so popular?

Also I would appreciate suggestions for good books on Civil War Tokens.

Thanks in advance.

EagleEye · September 25, 2010 2:49AM

Since it was not a real cent, they avoided any problems by calling it a "medal". It is fairly common.

Zoins · September 25, 2010 3:40AM

I'm not sure who Wilson refers to on these medals but it would be nice to figure out. There are at least two Wilsons that received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.

First Lieutenant John Moulder Wilson for Battle of Malvern Hill, Va. on August 6, 1862. He rose to Brigadier General and was Chief of Engineers. The Medal of Honor citation reads:

<< Remained on duty, while suffering from an acute illness and very weak, and participated in the action of that date. A few days previous he had been transferred to a staff corps, but preferred to remain until the close of the campaign, taking part in several actions. >>

Landsman Wilson Brown for Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. The Medal of Honor citation reads:

<< On board the flagship U.S.S. Hartford during successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the ram CSS Tennessee (1863) in Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864. Knocked unconscious into the hold of the ship when an enemy shellburst fatally wounded a man on the ladder above him, Brown, upon regaining consciousness, promptly returned to the shell whip on the berth deck and zealously continued to perform his duties although 4 of the 6 men at this station had been either killed or wounded by the enemy's terrific fire. >>

It's amazing how much information is on Wikipedia.

PerryHall · September 25, 2010 4:13AM

That pic looks a lot like Tom DeLorey aka CaptHenway.

EagleEye · September 25, 2010 4:28AM

"Wilson" is either a die sinker or a merchant. Probably a merchant. Probably from Cincinnati.

Zoins · September 25, 2010 5:22AM

<< "Wilson" is either a die sinker or a merchant. Probably a merchant. Probably from Cincinnati. >>

How many die sinkers of that era are known? How may HTT and CWT can be attributed to the die sinker?

EagleEye · September 25, 2010 5:38AM

Most die sinkers made their own store cards and their products can be attributed from similarities in their work. Scovill Manufacturing and Waterbury Button Company made many of the high quality HTT and CWT's. Others that come to mind are Stanton, Merriam, Higgins, Robert Lovett Jr. These are listed in ther CWT book. Some times you can actually trace the die sinker's sales route by the merchants who bought their tokens.

Zoins · September 25, 2010 5:52AM

<< That pic looks a lot like >>

a good avatar to me

Zoins · September 25, 2010 5:59AM

<< Most die sinkers made their own store cards and their products can be attributed from similarities in their work. Scovill Manufacturing and Waterbury Button Company made many of the high quality HTT and CWT's. Others that come to mind are Stanton, Merriam, Higgins, Robert Lovett Jr. These are listed in ther CWT book. Some times you can actually trace the die sinker's sales route by the merchants who bought their tokens. >>

Is it correct to say that Lovett has the biggest collector following?

EagleEye · September 25, 2010 6:05AM

I think Higgins' are the most popular because he copied (made transfer dies from) many of the WBC dies and made his own quirky dies. His are known as the Indiana Primitive pieces.

Civil War Tokens - Wilson's Medal

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