(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-10A-2b, Walter & Smith IL

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Walter & Smith in Illinois, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. With 2 known varieties, Walter & Smith produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 10A-2b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Walter & Smith was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 10A-2b