(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-480B-6A, KY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from John W. Lee, a Lexington, Kentucky business. Kentucky was a critical border state maintaining Union loyalty while deeply divided. Louisville served as a major supply depot and source of merchant tokens. The 18 cataloged varieties for John W. Lee indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 480B-6A) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 18 cataloged varieties, John W. Lee was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 480B-6A