Lot 63
THE STORY: It all started in the years 1861 -1865 with the secession of the Southern States from the Union. Pres. Abraham Lincoln went to war to preserve the Union and The South went to war to protect what they viewed as their "states" rights. It was a horrific war. And war always puts severe economic strains on any economy and the Civil War was no exception. There was no such thing as income tax so government income was limited while war costs soared. Economic confidence on the government's ability to honor its debt sank rapidly. People started hoarding coins especially gold and silver coins so U.S. coinage nearly completely disappeared from circulation. The govt. and business men sought ways to enable commerce and put purchasing power back into the hands of the public including even the use of encased U.S. Postage Stamps. One of the more successful innovations was the privately issued Patriotic Tokens. Coins have been used as a method of disseminating propaganda from the ancient times to the present as attested during ancient Rome and Greece. Merchants everywhere started to put cent size tokens into circulation with patriotic images and phrases on them and the public accepted them for everyday purchases. Some tokens were struck over U.S. coins including cents and silver coins, others manufactured new. Phrases such as "The Federal Union It Must and Shall Be Preserved" adorned many. At the onset of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln met with his generals and General Winfield Scott, proposed the Anaconda Plan in order to restore the Union with as little bloodshed as possible. A non-aggressive policy featuring a complete naval blockade of the Southern States. Scott's plan was to strangle the South into submission by cutting its supply lines to the outside world. The Confederate South desperately needed to break the Union naval blockade and with the limited shipbuilding resources, they produced a steam powered ship without sails, armored with railroad iron, low in profile and having slanted sides to withstand bombardment from Union ships and allow them to wreak havoc on the anchored and slow moving wooden blockading fleet. The South's ironclad vessel was christened the CSS VIRGINIA. She served as the prototype for nearly all of the 22 confederate ironclads built. John Brook was the designer of the CSS Virginia. The Union was well aware of the South's plan and began its own crash course in ironclad shipbuilding with the advantage of the knowledge gained during the trial runs of the USS MERRIMACK. The result was the USS MONITOR. John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer and inventor designed the USS Monitor. It has rotating turret amidships which allowed its 2 large guns to do the work of many more conventionally mounted guns. Additionally, only 18 I inches of deck was visible above waterline, affording only a meager target for enemy weapons. The USS Monitor was launched Jan. 30, 1862 from Greenpoint, NY. On March 7, 1862, the Monitor was engaged in sea trials just north of Virginia. On the morning of March 9, the CSS Virginia met the "Cheese Box on a Raft" and a well-placed shot exploded the Monitor's pilot house blinding Lt. John L. Worden, commander of the Monitor which had to back off to assess damage. CSS Virginia turned away to engage other Union ships but the tide prevented the pursuit so the Virginia returned to port for her own damage assessment. The unpopular war was deemed a tie but the blockage remained in place and so the battle was viewed as a major victory by the Union. And as more and more "Monitors" were produced, the South's doom was sealed. On December 31, 1862, The Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in a severe storm with the loss of 4 officers the 16 crewmen. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
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Dimensions:
- .75" diameter Condition:
- ungraded
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