(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-68A/371a, Not One Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$85 MS63BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 68A/371a, combining obverse die 68 — 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. Copper was preferred for token production because its properties matched the federal cent specification closely enough that these pieces passed freely in commerce during 1862-1864. Without merchant identification on the dies, this token cannot be attributed to a specific issuer or location. Location Unknown store cards represent speculative die pairings produced for general circulation. 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 68A/371a