(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-509a, Uniface John Bell

Coin Details

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 509a, featuring obverse die 509 — a portrait of John Bell, the 1860 Constitutional Union candidate — with 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. The Fuld catalog's Location Unknown section encompasses die combinations that bear no identifiable merchant attribution. These tokens circulated on the strength of their patriotic designs alone. Copper was preferred for token production because its properties matched the federal cent specification closely enough that these pieces passed freely in commerce during 1862-1864. This undated piece was produced circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage.

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, Uniface John Bell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 509a