(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-65A/371a, Not One Cent

Coin Details

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 65A/371a, combining obverse die 65 — an Indian Head design modeled after Longacre's federal cent — with reverse die 371 bearing the provocative legend "NOT ONE CENT" within a wreath. This seemingly contradictory inscription acknowledged the token had no legal-tender status while it simultaneously served as a cent substitute in everyday commerce. The Indian Head obverse was designed to maximize public acceptance by copying the federal cent. These tokens were so convincing that many survive mistakenly identified as genuine federal cents. Struck in copper, the standard metal for Civil War tokens chosen because cent-sized copper pieces passed as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. This token bears no merchant identification; its dies were paired speculatively by die sinkers for sale to the general public rather than commissioned by a specific merchant. Dated 1863, the peak year of Civil War token production when the coin shortage was most acute.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 1 cataloged varieties, Not One Cent was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 65A/371a