(1862) Copper Civil War Store Card F-910A-1a, Drovers Hotel MO

Coin Details

Auction Record

$575 MS63BN 11-08-2019 Scotsman

Description

Drovers Hotel, based in St. Louis, Missouri, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. St. Louis was the largest city west of the Mississippi and a vital Union stronghold, controlling river commerce and serving as a major military staging area. The 11 cataloged varieties for Drovers Hotel indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 910A-1a) is common. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 11 cataloged varieties, Drovers Hotel was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 910A-1a