(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Patriotic Token F-160/218do, Liberty For All

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 MS64 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 160, a political figure or patriotic design from the Civil War era, with reverse die 218 bearing a design featuring "America". Civil War patriotic tokens were privately struck cent-sized pieces that circulated as emergency currency during 1862-1864, when wartime hoarding drained federal coinage from commerce. Over 25 million patriotic tokens were produced before Congress banned private coinage in April 1864. The copper-nickel composition — the same alloy used for federal Indian Head cents from 1857 to 1864 — makes this a particularly faithful imitation of official government coinage. Dated 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).

Rarity Notes

Fuld 160/218do. Die pairing: obverse 160, reverse 218. Copper-nickel is an uncommon composition for Civil War tokens. 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 160/218do