(No Date) Civil War Patriotic Token F-390/434a, For Public Accommodation

Coin Details

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 390, a commerce or value design, with reverse die 434 bearing a design featuring "For Public Accommodation". These privately manufactured cent-sized tokens served as emergency coinage throughout the North from 1862 to 1864. Their production was an entrepreneurial response to the wartime disappearance of federal small change from everyday commerce. Copper was the standard metal for patriotic tokens, chosen because cent-sized copper pieces could pass as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. This undated token was struck during the Civil War coin shortage era of 1862-1864, when most patriotic token production occurred. 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 390/434a. Die pairing: obverse 390, reverse 434. 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 390/434a