(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-615A-1A, Robert Naper IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$100 VF Details 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from Robert Naper, a Naperville, Illinois business. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. With 3 known varieties, Robert Naper produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 615A-1A) is common for this merchant. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, the U.S. Mint dramatically increased production of small-denomination coins, and the new bronze two-cent piece helped alleviate the shortage. 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 3 cataloged varieties, Robert Naper was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 615A-1A