(1862) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165BM-1a, Harpel OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS64BN 06-29-2012 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 165BM-1a — store card of Harpel, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. Harpel issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165BM-1a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 8 cataloged varieties, Harpel was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BM-1a