
**Tiny Token, Big Message**
I found this little token at an on-line auction...One of my favorite places to browse around. There wasn't too much information on it in the description, but it really "spoke" to me with it's message of "Liberty" and "The Lord's Prayer". It is a 1876 MS Centennial Exposition, Liberty Bell, Lord's Prayer Token. This has a composition of copper, is 16mm and also has a bezel edging. I really liked the mahogany tones with orange flecks of luster. This token came from the Virgil M. Brand Collection. Okay, now who is Virgil M. Brand you say... Well, Q. David Bowers wrote a book about him in 1983... "Virgil Brand; The Man and his Era; Profile of a Numismatist." I had no idea, but this man was a prominent numismatist especially of coins, medals and tokens, which included a hoard totaling over 1,355 items! It was said that he had one or more wooden barrels filled with Uncirculated Civil War Tokens! Can you imagine! He was also a Chicago Beer Baron. He was born in 1862 and began collecting around 1879. I feel really honored to have one of his pieces now in my collection. I hope you enjoyed this blog and will want to learn even more about this wonderful Numismatist of the past!