(1861-65) Brass Civil War Patriotic Token F-433/434b, Union For Ever

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS64 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 433, a patriotic or political design from the Civil War era, with reverse die 434 bearing a design featuring "For Public Accommodation". These privately manufactured cent-sized tokens served as emergency coinage throughout the North from 1862 to 1864. Their production was an entrepreneurial response to the wartime disappearance of federal small change from everyday commerce. The brass composition, while less common than copper, produced tokens with a distinctive yellow-gold appearance. Waterbury, Connecticut — the brass capital of America — supplied much of the raw material for token production. Produced in 1861-65. New York City produced over half of all Civil War patriotic tokens, with additional output from Waterbury, Connecticut (center of the brass industry) and Cincinnati, Ohio (home of John Stanton and other prolific die sinkers).

Rarity Notes

Fuld 433/434b. Die pairing: obverse 433, reverse 434. Brass strikes are less common than copper. The Fuld rarity scale ranges from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique); survival depends on the specific die combination, metal, and condition.

Cross References

Fuld 433/434b