(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-146/283d, RI First In The Field

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from RI First In The Field of Rhode Island. Rhode Island was an important manufacturing center in textiles and jewelry, with Providence merchants issuing Civil War tokens for daily commerce. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Many Civil War tokens were produced in quantities far exceeding actual commercial need, as die sinkers and merchants recognized the speculative collecting interest that was already developing. Civil War tokens serve as primary source material for economic historians studying the monetary crisis of 1862-1864 and the federal government's response through new coinage legislation. 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 1 cataloged varieties, RI First In The Field was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 146/283d