(c.1860) Token Miller Miss-7a Copper Benjn. F. Fotterall

Coin Details

Description

Benjamin F. Fotterall was a merchant dealing in dry goods, boots, and shoes in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Fotterall was a Jewish merchant, part of the small but commercially active Jewish community in antebellum Mississippi. His extensive series of tokens (Miller Miss-3 through Miss-7a) in copper and gilt brass indicates a well-established business. Vicksburg was a strategic Mississippi River port and commercial center that would gain lasting fame during the Civil War when its 47-day siege by Union forces under General Grant in 1863 split the Confederacy in two. Fotterall's multiple token varieties make him the most prolific token issuer in antebellum Mississippi. This copper piece follows the convention of most merchant store cards, which used copper planchets to approximate the look and feel of federal coinage. The material choice minimized production costs while maximizing public acceptance. Cataloged as Miller Miss-7a in the standard reference for American merchant tokens.

Rarity Notes

Copper striking, the standard metal for merchant tokens of this period. Miller Miss-7a. Fotterall issued 4 known token varieties.

Cross References

Miller Miss-7a