(1863) Brass Civil War Patriotic Token F-1/391b, I.O.U. 1 Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS64 05-29-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 1, a French-style Liberty head facing left surrounded by thirteen stars, the most common obverse die family on Civil War patriotic tokens, with reverse die 391 bearing the playful inscription "I.O.U. 1 CENT". This whimsical legend cast the token as an informal promissory note, reflecting the pragmatic humor with which merchants adopted private tokens. As part of the most extensive obverse die family, French Liberty heads were mass-produced by competing die sinkers in New York and Connecticut. The classical bust design was popular precisely because it looked like official government coinage. Struck in brass, a less common composition that gave the token a distinctive golden color distinguishing it from the copper standard. Produced in 1863. The Fuld catalog documents over 10,000 distinct die combinations for patriotic tokens, making this one of the most complex series in all of American numismatics. Many die pairings are known from only a handful of surviving specimens.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 1/391b. Die pairing: obverse 1, reverse 391. 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 1/391b