(1863) Civil War Patriotic Token F-117/420fo

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,600 MS61 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 117, 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 420 bearing an exchange or commerce-themed design. Washington obverse dies connected the Union cause to the nation's founding principles. The first president's portrait on Civil War tokens reminded Northerners that the republic Washington helped create was worth fighting to preserve. Struck in brass, a less common composition that gave the token a distinctive golden color distinguishing it from the copper standard. Bearing the date 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 117/420fo. Die pairing: obverse 117, reverse 420. 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 117/420fo