(1862) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510E-1a, H.B. Opfeld KY

Coin Details

Description

H.B. Opfeld of Kentucky issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Kentucky was a critical border state maintaining Union loyalty while deeply divided. Louisville served as a major supply depot and source of merchant tokens. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510E-1a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The transition from large copper cents to small-diameter bronze cents in 1857 had already created a shortage mindset, making the public particularly anxious about coin supplies when war began. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 1 cataloged varieties, H.B. Opfeld was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510E-1a