(1863) White Metal Civil War Patriotic Token F-1/105e, Liberty-Washington

Coin Details

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 1, a French-style Liberty head facing left surrounded by thirteen stars, the most common obverse die family on Civil War patriotic tokens, with reverse die 105 bearing a George Washington portrait with a star design. Washington's image invoked the founding ideals of the republic. The French Liberty head design was the workhorse of the patriotic token series. Die sinkers favored this classical motif because its resemblance to official currency increased merchant acceptance of privately produced cent substitutes. Struck in white metal (a lead-tin alloy), producing a silvery appearance. White metal tokens are scarcer than copper and often show softer details due to the alloy's lower hardness. Bearing the date 1863. The Fuld catalog documents over 10,000 distinct die combinations for patriotic tokens, making this one of the most complex series in all of American numismatics. Many die pairings are known from only a handful of surviving specimens.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 1/105e. Die pairing: obverse 1, reverse 105. White metal (lead/tin alloy) strikes are scarcer than copper. 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 1/105e