(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-700A-6a, Arcade House RI

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Arcade House in Rhode Island. Rhode Island was an important manufacturing center in textiles and jewelry, with Providence merchants issuing Civil War tokens for daily commerce. Arcade House issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 700A-6a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 8 cataloged varieties, Arcade House was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 700A-6a