(1864) Civil War Patriotic Token F-241/338a, Monitor

Coin Details

Auction Record

$552 MS63 04-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 241, a naval, Monitor, or patriotic design, with reverse die 338 bearing the USS Monitor, the Union's revolutionary ironclad warship. The Monitor's March 1862 battle with the CSS Virginia captured the Northern imagination. This die range includes naval subjects, constitutional themes, Masonic imagery, and commercial designs. The diversity reflects the wide range of interests and loyalties expressed through the Civil War token medium, from military patriotism to fraternal and commercial concerns. Copper was the standard metal for patriotic tokens, chosen because cent-sized copper pieces could pass as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. Bearing the date 1864. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, and the introduction of fractional currency notes and new bronze two-cent pieces gradually eliminated the need for emergency tokens.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 241/338a. Die pairing: obverse 241, reverse 338. 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 241/338a