American Colonization Society Token

A copper token issued by the American Colonization Society in 1833 depicts a naked man clutching the tree of liberty and reaching out toward a ship at sea. The rays of the sun shine in the distance, and the word "Liberia"—referring to an African colony where freed slaves were being sent by the American Colonization Society—is emblazoned across the top of the coin. Founded in 1816, the colonization society advocated gradual emancipation and the resettlement of freed slaves in Africa.