1863 Us Civil War Flag Of Our Union Dix "spoot" Error?

[britcoinz]

I have an 1863 US Civil War Flag of our Union DIX Token. It spells the word Spot as "Spoot" which seems to be advertised on ebay as unusual; see http://www.ebay.com/itm/CIVIL-WAR-TOKEN-THE-FLAG-OF-OUR-UNION-DIX-with-SPOOT-ERROR-1863-/221197785616

Can anyone confirm whether this really is unusual or did all the 1863 Tokens have that spelling?

Thanks

[Coppers]

I'd like to say it's the American way of spelling spot, but actually it's a die engraver's error on that particular Civil War token. Other tokens which used a similar design had the correct spelling.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Patriotic-1863-Civil-War-Token-Shoot-Him-On-The-Spot-Dix-Token-/141203665094?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e064f0c6

[scottishmoney]

The great thing about Civil War tokens is there is a lot of variety. You can even find them with warships, guns etc. I bought one a couple of years ago that is very rare and was dug up in a local church's vegetable garden where it was likely lost soon after it was circulated in 1863.

[Coppers]

If anyone's interested, the website of the Civil War Token Society can be found at http://www.cwtsociety.com

[britcoinz]

Thanks Coppers & Scottishmoney.

I actually want to sell it. I guess there is much more interest in these tokens in the US than in blighty. Would it make much difference if I sold it through the CWTS auctions as opposed to ebay or similar?

[scottishmoney]

Much better selling it through CWTS as opposed to eBay. I don't even look at eBay most of the time anymore.

Here is where I look at CWT:

http://www.civilwartokens.com/

[britcoinz]

Thanks Scottishmoney.

Looking at the FAQs on that site it seems to give guidance to buyers but not to sellers? How do I ensure I get a fair value (I know nothing about Civil War tokens) and actually get paid?

[TomGoodheart]

Hi Britcoinz. I only just started to get into these myself. As you say, most interest is in the US.

Civil War Tokens seem to be classified by the Fuld numbering system. I think yours is something like F 209/414a but we'd need to see a photo. The SPOOT reverse is slightly rarer but only a little. (R2, between 2001-5000 rather than the usual R1 (5000+)!) So it's likely the condition, rather than scarcity, will determine the price. Nice condition ones here:

http://www.cwtoken.com/Civil_War_Token_Type_Set/Patriotics/Pages/F_-_Flags.html#0

http://www.cwtoken.com/Civil_War_Token_Type_Set/Patriotics/Pages/F_-_Flags.html#4

If you can get the Fuld number for it then you can search online for similar to give you an idea on prices.

Advice on posting photos here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/7880-posting-pics/

Edited March 12, 2014 by TomGoodheart

[britcoinz]

Thanks Tom.

Yes it does seem to be an F 209/414a. I think they seem to sell for up to $40 but the prices and condition seem widely varying.

In colouring and definition mine is like this one:-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Civil-War-token-1863-Flag-of-our-union-Dix-Shoot-Him-On-the-Spoot-Error-/111299546267

but someone seems to have made it into a necklace/keyfob and put a small hole in the top like this one:-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CIVIL-WAR-TOKEN-THE-FLAG-OF-OUR-UNION-DIX-with-SPOOT-ERROR-1863-/221197785616

How much do you think this would reduce its value?

[TomGoodheart]

Mmm .. not an area I'm familiar with I'm afraid. But a quick search suggests maybe 50% of the un-holed examples. So .. £10 maybe, depending on where you tried to sell it? If eBay then you'll want to include listing in the US (which I think now costs). Either a 99p start or a Buy It Now with a 'Make an Offer' seem to work reasonably well, the first being of course riskier.

Or ... keep it as a souvenir? An interesting bit of history.

[Coppers]

The example of this token you found on ebay is significantly overpriced for the condition it is in, which is likely why it has received no bids. It still is a token from one of the more interesting periods in US history, one in which Great Britain did play a role, and as such you might want to retain it as Tom suggests.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Coppers

[britcoinz]

Thanks Tom & Coppers.