(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-460R-5a, J.F. Lenour IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 460R-5a — store card of J.F. Lenour, Indianapolis, Indiana. 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for J.F. Lenour indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 460R-5a) is common. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 10 cataloged varieties, J.F. Lenour was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460R-5a