(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-290G-1a, P. Pierr IN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$51 AU58BN 09-30-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

P. Pierr, based in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 290G-1a) is common. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. 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 1 cataloged varieties, P. Pierr was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 290G-1a