(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-31A/275a, Our Card

Coin Details

Auction Record

$168 XF45BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War token cataloged as Fuld 31A/275a, combining obverse die 31 — a Union eagle with spread wings and shield — with reverse die 275 bearing the inscription "OUR CARD". A self-referential legend treating the token as a calling card. Civil War tokens were privately struck cent-sized pieces that circulated as emergency currency during 1862-1864, when wartime hoarding drained federal coinage from commerce. Struck in copper, the standard metal for Civil War tokens chosen because cent-sized copper pieces passed as substitute federal cents in everyday commerce. The Fuld catalog's Location Unknown section encompasses die combinations that bear no identifiable merchant attribution. These tokens circulated on the strength of their patriotic designs alone. Dated 1863, the peak year of Civil War token production when the coin shortage was most acute.

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, Our Card was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 31A/275a