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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of F-*IL, located in 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. With 4 known varieties, F-*IL produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 150V-2A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, F-*IL was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150V-2A