(1863) Brass Civil War Patriotic Token F-108/201b, Our Union

Coin Details

Auction Record

$552 MS65 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 108, a bust of George Washington, invoking the founding ideals of the republic to frame the Union cause as a continuation of the American Revolution, with reverse die 201 bearing the inscription "OUR UNION". A personal and possessive declaration of loyalty to the Union. George Washington obverse dies invoked the founding ideals of the republic, framing the Civil War as a continuation of the Revolution. Washington's image on tokens drew a direct line from 1776 to the struggle to preserve the Union his generation created. Struck in brass, a less common composition that gave the token a distinctive golden color distinguishing it from the copper standard. Dated 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 108/201b. Die pairing: obverse 108, reverse 201. 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 108/201b