(No Date) Civil War Patriotic Token F-56/161d, Our Army

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,699 AG3 01-06-2021 eBay

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 56, a military-themed obverse with "OUR ARMY" inscription, with reverse die 161 bearing the inscription "OUR ARMY" within a wreath. A tribute to the Union Army defending the republic on battlefields across the South. Dies in this military obverse range capture the martial spirit of the Northern home front. Slogans, weapons, and military insignia dominate these designs, reflecting the public's intense focus on the progress and prosecution of the war. 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. Although undated, this token was manufactured during the 1862-1864 period when private tokens circulated as emergency currency. The end of the token era came swiftly in 1864 when Congress authorized new small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of a brief but remarkable chapter in American monetary history.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 56/161d. Die pairing: obverse 56, reverse 161. 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 56/161d