1863 French Liberty Head Civil War Army & Navy Token Fuld 15/319a

Description

At the onset of the Civil War, many people began hoarding coins, copper, silver, and gold leaving virtually none in circulation. Suddenly, coins were worth more than their face value and everyday business essentially halted. However, to make up for this dearth of coinage, private businesses took it upon themselves to manufacture copper tokens for widespread circulation. Like this 1863 French Liberty Head Civil War Army & Navy Token they became known as Civil War Tokens. Such pieces carried an accepted value of one cent. They circulated widely until they were made illegal by an act of Congress in April of 1864.

This token was struck with an obverse that features Lady Liberty sporting a Liberty cap with a hat band of stars, surrounded by 13 stars. The reverse features the phrase “ARMY & NAVY” within a wreath and crossed swords at the bottom.

VF, brown copper. 19mm