(1861) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150J-3a, Child''s Die Sinker & Engraver IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$112 AU58 03-26-2014 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by Child's, Die Sinker & Engraver of Chicago, Illinois. Chicago's explosive growth as a railroad and commodity trading center made it Illinois' primary source of Civil War store cards. Child's, Die Sinker & Engraver produced 21 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. This copper striking (Fuld 150J-3a) is common among the known varieties. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 21 cataloged varieties, Child's, Die Sinker & Engraver was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 150J-3a