| Civil War Money |
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During the Civil War, money was important. People needed to pay for things and eat just like they do now. The South decided that since they were a new country, they needed their own currency. Therefore they began printing their own paper money and minting their own coins. The design of the Confederate coins was very similar to the design of the Northern coins. In fact, back then, the design of many denominations of coins were very similar. One of the reasons was that they were all designed by only two men: James B. Longacre and Christian Gobrecht. All of the Gobrecht coins are referred to as the Seated Liberty type. Even paper money came in fractional amounts, such as four cents. Back then, paper money functioned as an I.O.U. for the equivalent amount of gold or silver. Each bank could print and issue their own money, but if the bank went out of business, the money was worthless.
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| Northern One Cent Piece The Union One Cent Piece or the Penny as it was known was referred to as the Indian Head Cent. It was designed by James B. Longacre in 1859 and remained in use until 1909, when the Lincoln Cent began. Northern Two Cent Piece | Yes, there was a Two Cent Piece. It was designed by James B. Longacre in 1864 and is the only coin to begin existance during the Civil War. This was also the first coin to have "In God We Trust" on it. It was discontinued in 1874. Northern Three Cent Piece | The Three Cent Coin was nicknamed "the Trime." There were actually two types of Three Cent Pieces. The first were minted using silver (1851-1873), but as that metal became more valuable and people began melting the coins down for the value of the metal, the newer coins were made from nickel. This was also designed by James B. Longacre. Northern Five Cent Piece | The Five Cent Piece was known as the Half Dime instead of the Nickel at this point as it was made from silver, not nickel This coin was designed by Christian Gobrecht and was in circulation from 1837-1873. Northern Ten Cent Piece | The Ten Cent Piece or Dime was designed by Christian Gobrecht in 1837 and stayed in circulation until 1891. Northern Twenty-Five Cent Piece | The Twenty-Five Cent Piece or Quarter Dollar was also designed by Christian Gobrecht and was in circulation from 1838 until 1891. Northern Fifty Cent Piece | The Fifty Cent Piece or Half Dollar was designed by Christian Gobrecht and was in circulation from 1839-1891. Northern One Dollar Coin | The Silver Dollar coin was designed by Christian Gobrecht in 1840 and remained in cirulation until 1873. Southern One Cent Piece | In 1861, the Confederacy attempted to create its own coinage. Interestingly, they hired a Northerner, Robert Lovett of Philadelphia to design, engrave and mint it. Fearing repercussions, Lovett decided to stop making the coins after only twelve were produced. In 1873, copies of the coins were made from gold silver and copper in limited editions to sell. Southern Fifty Cent Piece | In 1861, Jefferson Davis himself authorized the creation of a CSA Half Dollar. They were to be minted at the seized U. S. Mint in New Orleans using the U.S. design on the front. The backs were altered to say "Confederate States of America." Only four were ever made. |