(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-120A-1a, A.W. Gale NH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$360 MS64BN 08-31-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by A.W. Gale in New Hampshire. New Hampshire was a small but solidly Unionist state with very few Civil War store cards, reflecting its smaller commercial base. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 120A-1a) is common for this merchant. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Token production during the Civil War represented the largest private coinage movement in American history, with an estimated 25 million pieces struck between 1862 and 1864. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, A.W. Gale was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 120A-1a