(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-890B-1b, J.L. Loveday & Co. IL

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by J.L. Loveday & Co. of Waukegan, Illinois. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. With 4 known varieties, J.L. Loveday & Co. produced a modest number of token types. This brass striking (Fuld 890B-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. 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. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 4 cataloged varieties, J.L. Loveday & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 890B-1b