(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-150AT-7A, IL

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Chicago, Illinois, cataloged as Fuld 150AT-7A. Chicago's explosive growth as a railroad and commodity trading center made it Illinois' primary source of Civil War store cards. This copper striking (Fuld 150AT-7A) is common among the known varieties. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 150AT-7A