(1863) Civil War Patriotic Token F-9/407a, PROCLAIM LIBER

Coin Details

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 9, 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 407 bearing a design featuring "PROCLAIM LIBER". 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. Produced in copper, the workhorse metal of Civil War token production. The cent-sized format and familiar copper color allowed these pieces to circulate alongside genuine federal coinage without hesitation. Bearing the date 1863. Collectors classify these tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique obverse and reverse die combination. Rarity ratings range from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Fuld 9/407a. Die pairing: obverse 9, reverse 407. Copper is the most common composition, representing the majority of surviving specimens. 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 9/407a