Confederate States of America Restrikes

About This Coin

Confederate States of America Restrikes represent a fascinating chapter in American numismatic history, produced from original Confederate dies that survived the Civil War and were subsequently acquired by private collectors and dealers. The most famous Confederate restrikes involve the 1861 Confederate half dollar reverse die, which was obtained by Captain M.F. Taylor and later acquired by J.W. Scott, who produced restrikes by pairing the original Confederate reverse with a Union obverse die. A notable auction result of $114,000 in PR63 grade at Stack's Bowers demonstrates the extraordinary value that these restrikes command from collectors who recognize their direct connection to the Confederacy's abortive attempt to establish its own coinage. The original Confederate States coinage program was extremely limited: only four half dollars were struck from the Confederate reverse die at the New Orleans Mint in 1861 before Union forces recaptured the facility, and a single cent pattern was produced at the Philadelphia Mint by Robert Lovett Jr. under Confederate commission. Scott's restrikes, produced in the 1870s-1880s, used the genuine Confederate reverse die paired with various obverse dies and planchets, creating pieces that contain authentic Confederate die work despite their post-war production date. The category also encompasses restrikes of the Confederate cent from Lovett's original die. These restrikes occupy a unique position in American numismatics as the only accessible way to own pieces bearing genuine Confederate die impressions, since the original four half dollars are effectively unobtainable.