During the Civil War, nearly all gold and silver, and eventually the copper-nickel cent, disappeared from circulation in the Midwest and East. In larger cities, thin, copper, cent-sized tokens began to be issued by merchants to fill the void left by the missing cents. The government stepped in and issued its own thin, bronze coin and made the issuance of the merchants' tokens illegal. You are bidding on a 1864 Indian Head One Cent - Variety 3 Bronze (Good).