(1863) Civil War Patriotic Token F-184/427d, Union-Hunting Dogs

Coin Details

Auction Record

$7,200 MS65 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 184, a hunting scene with dogs, combining genre imagery with patriotic themes, with reverse die 427 bearing the denomination "ONE CENT". Stating a one-cent value helped these tokens circulate alongside federal coinage. Shield and cannon obverses in this die range drew on heraldic and military imagery to express Union loyalty. These designs were popular because their bold, simple motifs reproduced well on the small cent-sized planchet format. Struck in white metal (a lead-tin alloy), producing a silvery appearance. White metal tokens are scarcer than copper and often show softer details due to the alloy's lower hardness. 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 184/427d. Die pairing: obverse 184, reverse 427. White metal (lead/tin alloy) strikes are scarcer 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 184/427d