(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-150A-6d, Arbeiter Halle KY

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 150A-6d — store card of Arbeiter Halle, Covington, Kentucky. 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 4 known varieties, Arbeiter Halle produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 150A-6d) is somewhat scarce. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. 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-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 4 cataloged varieties, Arbeiter Halle was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150A-6d