(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-750M-3a, F. & L. Ladner PA

Coin Details

Description

F. & L. Ladner, a Phila merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 3 known varieties, F. & L. Ladner produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 750M-3a) is common. 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. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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, F. & L. Ladner was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 750M-3a