(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-150I-2A, IL

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from A. Candler of Chicago, Illinois, cataloged as Fuld 150I-2A. Chicago's explosive growth as a railroad and commodity trading center made it Illinois' primary source of Civil War store cards. With 4 known varieties, A. Candler produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 150I-2A) is common among the known varieties. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 4 cataloged varieties, A. Candler was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150I-2A