1862 Civil War POW Token St. Louis MO Gratiot St. Military Prison J.B. Moulton For Sale

Unique 1862 Dated
Civil War POW Token
Gratiot St. Military Prison
St. Louis, MO
J.B. Moulton, RR Engineer & St. Louis Resident
Imprisoned For Suspected Disloyalty To The Union! This is a great Civil War item with a great story! What we offer here is a unique silver token encased in a gutta-percha outer ring that is identified to (and created by) St. Louis MO resident John B. Moulton while imprisoned at the Gratiot Street Military Prison in St. Louis. This particular prison, although officially a military prison, was also used to house civilian prisoners who were under suspicion of disloyalty to the Union, spying, or expressing pro-Confederate sympathies in public. Moulton was such a prisoner, as he was accused of disloyalty after having been informed of such by a pro-Union operative, perhaps someone with a grudge against him. Moulton was a railroad engineer by trade with a specialty in helping to repair and recondition locomotives. At first he was employed by the Northern Missouri Railroad but later found a better paying position with the Louisiana railroad. This decision came back to haunt him as it brought him under scrutiny... because as an engineer, he made frequent trips into what was technically Rebel territory on a regular basis. This was looked upon as a perfect way for a Rebel spy to smuggle contraband or military secrets. Therefore upon a return to his home in St. Louis he was arrested and incarcerated under suspicion of disloyalty. While imprisoned, he made this token, which is approximately the size of a nickel. Look at our pictures above...we placed it next to a silver dime of the period for comparison purposes (The dime is included as a bonus...it came from the same collection and judging by the date and wear, could conceivably have been carried by Moulton). The center portion reads \"J.B. Moulton/Imprisoned by the U.S. Aug. 1862/in the Gratiot St. Military Prison St. Louis Mo.\". Around the gutta-percha ring it reads \"Made & Engraved in the Military Prison Sept. 1862\". Moulton was imprisoned in August and after testifying, giving an accounting of what he did while in the South and offering sworn affidavits of his loyalty by several friends and his former employer, he was eventually released in late September.

In researching Moulton we were fortunate enough to obtain some records from the Missouri state archives-copies of letters/documents by and pertaining to Moulton and his incarceration-for example, there is a copy of a letter written by Moulton asking for a few days parole to produce some evidence of his loyalty. Some of the copies are better quality than others due to the age of the source documents but all these photocopies are included as well. This one of a kind item is in superb condition and a must-have for any collection of Civil War related items. In the interest of generating some strong and serious offerding, we will start this lot at just one dollar with and free shipping. You take it from there! What more needs said? Be sure to View Our Other sales for more quality collectibles, with new items being added regularly! TERMS OF SALE-PLEASE READ: We will email winning buyer with an invoice/payment instructions through so MAKE SURE YOUR REGISTERED EMAIL ADDRESS IS CORRECT AND YOUR SPAM FILTER IS SET TO ALLOW OUR EMAILS, otherwise it may delay shipment. Payment must be received in US funds within 10 days of sale\'s end. If the sale is advertised as FREE SHIPPING, then there is no cost to you for shipping or insurance; simply remit the winning offer amount only. Otherwise we will list the cost of shipping in the sale. We usually ship via either USPS Priority Mail or Registered Mail depending on value, and recommend insurance on all items. We charge only actual USPS cost with no handling charges. Shipping cost is not negotiable! IL residents add 8.5% Tax on all non-coin items. We accept PAYPAL. Item will ship immediately upon payment clearance. All winning buyers are expected to complete the sale in a timely manner. We reserve the right to cancel offers we feel are made in bad faith, or by those with negative, hidden or less than 10 response. You are responsible for knowing what you are offerding on, so PLEASE read the sale listing completely and ask all questions far enough in advance of sale\'s end so that we have adequate time to respond.

REFUND POLICY: Refunds (for the winning offer amount only) will be given only if item has been grossly misrepresented (i.e. we described the wrong item, posted pictures of the wrong item, shipped you the wrong item) and only if it is returned in the same condition and unopened holder as sent. Requests for such refunds must be made within 7 days of shipment. Otherwise, all items are sold \"AS IS\" unless stated differently in the sale listing. No returns, period, on: coins removed from our original holders, any coin rolls, bags, or multiple coin lots (due to the possibility of coin switching), any precious metal or related items (due to market volatility), 3rd party graded items, or items clearly listed AS IS in the item description. Any mention of condition or grade on uncertified items is made based on our good faith interpretation of current grading standards and is subjective. On uncertified coins, we do not guarantee that any 3rd party service will necessarily agree with our stated grade. They may rate it lower, the same, or higher. By placing a offer, you signify that you agree to and understand all terms stated here. Thanks for your offer, business, and courtesy!
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