(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-890A-11a, Bassett's WV

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 890A-11a — store card of Bassett's, Wheeling, West Virginia. West Virginia separated from Virginia in 1863 to remain in the Union. Its merchants produced tokens to address the coin shortage in the newly formed state. The 13 cataloged varieties for Bassett's indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 890A-11a) 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. 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. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 13 cataloged varieties, Bassett's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 890A-11a