(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-700C-3a, Charnley RI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS65BN 01-30-2018 Heritage Auctions

Description

Civil War store card issued by Charnley of Providence, Rhode Island. Providence was an important manufacturing center, particularly in textiles and jewelry. The city's merchants issued Civil War tokens to maintain daily commerce. With 3 known varieties, Charnley produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 700C-3a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 3 cataloged varieties, Charnley was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 700C-3a