(1864) German-Silver Civil War Store Card F-146/283j, RI First In The Field

Coin Details

Description

RI First In The Field of Rhode Island issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. 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. Museum collections of Civil War tokens, including those at the American Numismatic Society and Smithsonian Institution, provide important reference specimens for attribution and provenance research. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 1 cataloged varieties, RI First In The Field was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 146/283j