(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-150AK-3B, IL

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 150AK-3B — store card of Marsh & Miner, Chicago, Illinois. Chicago was one of the fastest-growing cities in the world by 1860, rapidly becoming America's railroad hub and grain trading center with a population of 112,000. The 11 cataloged varieties for Marsh & Miner indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 150AK-3B) is common to somewhat scarce. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. 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. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 11 cataloged varieties, Marsh & Miner was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 150AK-3B