(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-150AT-8A, IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$80 MS64BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from Chicago, Illinois, cataloged as Fuld 150AT-8A. Chicago's explosive growth as a railroad and commodity trading center made it Illinois' primary source of Civil War store cards. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 150AT-8A) is common. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. 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-8A