(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150D-3a, V.C. Engert KY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$576 MS65BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Store card of V.C. Engert 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 3 known varieties, V.C. Engert produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 150D-3a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. 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 3 cataloged varieties, V.C. Engert was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150D-3a