(1844) Civil War Patriotic Token F-481/487b, Hope/Hare

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 481, an allegorical figure of Hope depicted as a woman with an anchor, a neoclassical motif on English-made dies dated 1844 but used during the Civil War era, with reverse die 487 bearing a hare design from the English-made Hope series. Hope series dies were produced in England, where the token-making tradition stretched back centuries. The British-manufactured dies feature finer engraving than most domestically produced patriotic token dies, with allegorical imagery drawn from European medallic art traditions. Copper was the standard metal for patriotic tokens, chosen because cent-sized copper pieces could pass as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. Bearing the date 1844. Congress banned private tokens in 1864, and fractional currency notes and the new bronze cents and two-cent pieces ended the need for them.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 481/487b. Die pairing: obverse 481, reverse 487. The Fuld rarity scale runs from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (believed unique).

Cross References

Fuld 481/487b