(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-140A-2a, Wm. Moore IL

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Wm. Moore, operating in Chemung, 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 2 known varieties, Wm. Moore produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 140A-2a) is common for this merchant. 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. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Wm. Moore was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 140A-2a