(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-460V-2b, Tyler's Bee Hive IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Tyler's Bee Hive of Indianapolis, Indiana. As Indiana's capital and a major railroad hub, Indianapolis was the center of the state's Civil War token production, with merchants using tokens as practical emergency currency. With 2 known varieties, Tyler's Bee Hive produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 460V-2b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Tyler's Bee Hive was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 460V-2b