(1863) Copper Civil War Patriotic Token F-73/525a, $100 Bounty Patriotic Civil War Token

Coin Details

Auction Record

$132 AU58BN 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 73, a "Double Indian" design with Indian Head portraits on both sides, a scarce and unusual pairing, with reverse die 525 bearing a design featuring "$100 Bounty Patriotic Civil War Token". Indian Head obverse dies were the second most popular family, closely imitating the design of the federal Indian Head cent introduced in 1859. By echoing James B. Longacre's official design, these tokens blurred the line between private and 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. Dated 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 73/525a. Die pairing: obverse 73, reverse 525. 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 73/525a