(1863) Brass Civil War Patriotic Token F-71/456b, Good For 25 Cents

Coin Details

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 71, an Indian Head design modeled after James B. Longacre's federal cent, the most popular obverse family for patriotic tokens because its resemblance to official coinage helped these privately struck pieces gain public acceptance, with reverse die 456 bearing the denomination "GOOD FOR ONE CENT". Stating a one-cent value made the token more readily accepted in commerce, though private tokens had no legal-tender status. As the second-largest obverse die family, Indian Head designs exploited the public's familiarity with the federal cent. The closer a token resembled genuine federal coinage, the more readily it circulated as emergency currency. 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. Bearing the date 1863.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 71/456b. Die pairing: obverse 71, reverse 456. 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 71/456b