(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-750W-3a, Volunteer Refreshment Saloon PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$100 MS63BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, based in Phila, Pennsylvania, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 2 known varieties, Volunteer Refreshment Saloon produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 750W-3a) is common among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, Volunteer Refreshment Saloon was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 750W-3a