(1863) Copper Civil War Patriotic Token F-73/84a, Double Indian

Coin Details

Auction Record

$103 AU58BN 03-20-2023 eBay

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 84 bearing Indian Head designs on both obverse and reverse. 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. Struck in copper, the dominant metal for Civil War patriotic tokens. Copper pieces were accepted interchangeably with federal cents by merchants throughout the North. Dated 1863. New York City produced over half of all Civil War patriotic tokens, with additional output from Waterbury, Connecticut (center of the brass industry) and Cincinnati, Ohio (home of John Stanton and other prolific die sinkers).

Rarity Notes

Fuld 73/84a. Die pairing: obverse 73, reverse 84. 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 73/84a