(1864) Brass Civil War Store Card F-131A/349Ab1, Mounted Abraham Lincoln

Coin Details

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 131A/349Ab1, combining obverse die 131 — a portrait of Abraham Lincoln — with reverse die 349 bearing a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln tokens are among the most sought-after Civil War issues. Lincoln's portrait on Civil War tokens transformed everyday commerce into a political statement. These dies are among the scarcest and most collected in the series. The brass composition produced a distinctive warm golden tone. Brass was sourced primarily from the Waterbury, Connecticut mills that supplied many Northern token manufacturers. The absence of merchant information on this die combination places it in the Fuld catalog's Location Unknown section, among tokens produced as patriotic cent substitutes rather than as advertising pieces. Dated 1864, near the end of the Civil War token era. The introduction of fractional currency and the Act of April 22, 1864 soon made private tokens obsolete.

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 4 cataloged varieties, /K-277b Mule Lincoln-4 Line Rev. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 131A/349Ab1