unknown cent needing ID

[nuggetrush]

Acquired this from my father, was wondering what it was and what it was worth. I was unable to find anything on it but who knows I might have been checking the wrong places. Thanks in advance.







The back says "not one cent"

 

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Hello nuggetrush,

Welcome to TNet, and thanks for showing your token. There was both a Charles & a Christopher Dorscher listed as grocers in the 1863 Brooklyn directory: http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/sites/default/files/files/pdf/bc/citydir/1863.pdf

"
DENOM. YEAR CERT. GRADE RAR Photo Inv.# DESCRIPTION NET PRICE
1863 F12 R4 630V-7a1,New York, C.Doscher(Washington)/Not One Cent, Late Die State F12 $25" http://www.butternut.org/Catalogs/hardtimescivilwartokens.htm

"CLXXVI c doscher 241 Wash st., ny 1863; head of Washington facing the right. Rev. not one cent in a wreath of olive Copper size 12" American Journal of Numismatics, and Bulletin of American Numismatic and ... - Google Books

There was an Indian Head variant by the same merchant:

See Here.

 

[nuggetrush]

Thank you for the ID by the way, would have responded faster but still getting use to the Mobil app

 

[idahotokens]

What you have is a Civil War storecard - with the war going on, coins were hoarded, so businesses had a hard time carrying on. One solution that was used in most of the Union states was that individual businesses had their own cent tokens struck. They then used them to give change, back when a cent was worth something. The "not one cent" is seen on a lot of them - some merchants were worried about being accused of counterfeiting coins. There is a book expected soon from the Civil War Token Society that will update the old Fuld "Guide to Civil War Store Card Tokens". Other Civil War tokens without the indication of being issued by a specific merchant are called Patriotic Civil War tokens. In general the storecards are worth more, but I can't tell you what yours is worth - the old book lists it as rarity 2 which is fairly common. As pointed out, there are varieties. Yours has a bust of Washington which makes it appeal to collectors of Washintoniana.
John in the Great 208

 

[nuggetrush]

What you have is a Civil War storecard - with the war going on, coins were hoarded, so businesses had a hard time carrying on. One solution that was used in most of the Union states was that individual businesses had their own cent tokens struck. They then used them to give change, back when a cent was worth something. The "not one cent" is seen on a lot of them - some merchants were worried about being accused of counterfeiting coins. There is a book expected soon from the Civil War Token Society that will update the old Fuld "Guide to Civil War Store Card Tokens". Other Civil War tokens without the indication of being issued by a specific merchant are called Patriotic Civil War tokens. In general the storecards are worth more, but I can't tell you what yours is worth - the old book lists it as rarity 2 which is fairly common. As pointed out, there are varieties. Yours has a bust of Washington which makes it appeal to collectors of Washintoniana.
John in the Great 208

Thank you, I'm going to get it priced one day but I'm not sure where. Any idea in that department would be awesome as well. Hopefully I have two of these as my father is still looking for the other one.

 

[idahotokens]

Go to eBay, search for Doscher, then look at the completed sales. Green prices mean the item actually sold (the true indicator of value) and red are ones that did not sell. Be sure to look at each lot to make sure you are pricing the variety that you have.

John in the Great 208