(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165BT-7a, B. Hempelman OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,200 09-07-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of B. Hempelman, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. The 19 cataloged varieties for B. Hempelman indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165BT-7a) is common for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. 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 19 cataloged varieties, B. Hempelman was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BT-7a