(1864) Civil War Store Card F-65A-1a, S.P. Sedgwick & Co. IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$852 MS64BN 06-21-2017 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by S.P. Sedgwick & Co. of Bloomingdl, Illinois. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. The 13 cataloged varieties for S.P. Sedgwick & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 65A-1a) is common for this merchant. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, S.P. Sedgwick & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 65A-1a