(No Date) German Silver Civil War Patriotic Token F-201/295j, Our Union

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS63 03-31-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War patriotic token combining Fuld obverse die 201, a design depicting the American flag circled by thirteen stars inscribed "THE FLAG OF OUR UNION," one of the most popular obverse die families, expressing loyalty to the national standard, with reverse die 295 bearing the inscription "FREEDOM". An aspirational reverse linking the Union cause to the broader principle of human liberty. Depicting the national flag encircled by stars, this obverse family expressed Union patriotism in its most direct visual form. Flag dies were paired extensively with different reverses, resulting in one of the largest variety families in the series. Struck in German silver (a copper-nickel-zinc alloy also called nickel silver), a scarce composition for Civil War tokens. The silvery appearance gave these pieces a more precious look than standard copper issues. This undated token was struck during the Civil War coin shortage era of 1862-1864, when most patriotic token production occurred.

Rarity Notes

Fuld 201/295j. Die pairing: obverse 201, reverse 295. German silver (nickel silver) strikes are scarce. 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 201/295j