(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-509A/510Bb, Holed John Bell

Coin Details

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 509A/510Bb, combining obverse die 509 — a portrait of John Bell, the 1860 Constitutional Union candidate — with reverse die 510 bearing a portrait of John Bell. Benjamin True of Cincinnati produced this political campaign series. True's workshop struck tokens for all political factions, making the series a unique numismatic record of the divided political landscape. Struck in brass, a copper-zinc alloy that gave the token a golden appearance while maintaining similar size and weight to copper pieces. No merchant name or location appears on this die combination. The Fuld catalog assigns such tokens to the Location Unknown section, recognizing them as patriotic issues rather than merchant-sponsored currency. Although undated, this token was manufactured during the 1862-1864 period when private tokens circulated as emergency currency.

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 1 cataloged varieties, Holed John Bell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 509A/510Bb