(1863) Copper Civil War Patriotic Token F-154/469Ba, Stephen A. Douglas

Coin Details

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 154, a portrait of Stephen A. Douglas, the Illinois senator who debated Lincoln in 1858 and ran as the Northern Democratic presidential candidate in 1860, with reverse die 469B bearing a portrait of Stephen A. Douglas. Die 469B is a campaign-era Douglas die variant. These privately manufactured cent-sized tokens served as emergency coinage throughout the North from 1862 to 1864. Their production was an entrepreneurial response to the wartime disappearance of federal small change from everyday commerce. Copper was the standard metal for patriotic tokens, chosen because cent-sized copper pieces could pass as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. Produced in 1863. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, and the introduction of fractional currency notes and new bronze two-cent pieces gradually eliminated the need for emergency tokens.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 154/469Ba. Die pairing: obverse 154, reverse 469B. 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 154/469Ba