(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-460V-1a, Tyler's Bee Hive IN

Coin Details

Description

Tyler's Bee Hive of Indianapolis issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Indianapolis served as a major Union military staging area, with Camp Morton housing Confederate prisoners and Governor Morton directing one of the war's most vigorous state efforts. With 2 known varieties, Tyler's Bee Hive produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 460V-1a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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, Tyler's Bee Hive was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 460V-1a