(1864) Civil War Patriotic Token F-349/477e, Procese

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,260 MS63 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 349, a patriotic or political design from the Civil War era, with reverse die 477 bearing a design featuring "Procese". Patriotic tokens filled the currency vacuum created when Americans hoarded federal coins after the suspension of specie payments in December 1861. Die sinkers and token manufacturers stepped in to supply the cent-sized pieces that commerce demanded. Struck in copper, the dominant metal for Civil War patriotic tokens. Copper pieces were accepted interchangeably with federal cents by merchants throughout the North. Bearing the date 1864. New York City produced over half of all Civil War patriotic tokens, with additional output from Waterbury, Connecticut (center of the brass industry) and Cincinnati, Ohio (home of John Stanton and other prolific die sinkers). Survival rates for patriotic tokens vary enormously by die combination, with some pairings known from thousands of examples and others from fewer than five specimens.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 349/477e. Die pairing: obverse 349, reverse 477. 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 349/477e