(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150B-1a, Cov. & Cin. KY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$456 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

Store card of Cov. & Cin. in Covington, Kentucky, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Kentucky was a critical border state maintaining Union loyalty while deeply divided. Louisville served as a major supply depot and source of merchant tokens. With 2 known varieties, Cov. & Cin. produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 150B-1a) is common for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Cov. & Cin. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150B-1a