(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-13A-3a, Wm. Carson PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$120 AU50BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from Wm. Carson, an Allegheny, Pennsylvania business. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Wm. Carson issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 13A-3a) is common. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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 6 cataloged varieties, Wm. Carson was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 13A-3a