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1 Cent Civil War Token - Our Country/Liberty Head
| Issuer | United States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Liberty facing left, wearing a laurel wreath and cap with flowing hair, occupying the central field. Thirteen six-pointed stars are arranged in a ring around the effigy, evenly spaced near the inner border. The date 1863 appears in large numerals below the bust. A fine beaded inner border runs along the rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
By mid-1863, small change had essentially vanished from American commerce. Hoarding triggered by wartime uncertainty pulled cents, fractional silver, and eventually even postage stamps out of circulation, leaving merchants unable to make change. Private tradesmen and die sinkers filled the gap, producing millions of cent-sized copper tokens that circulated by common consent rather than legal authority. Congress eventually moved to suppress them — the Act of April 22, 1864 made private coinage illegal — giving the entire series a production window of roughly two years.
Fuld 2/317a places this piece among the so-called patriotic tokens, struck without merchant advertising, relying solely on national sentiment to pass at face value.