(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-200A-1B, IL

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 200A-1B — store card of I.L. Elwood, DE Kalb, Illinois. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. I.L. Elwood issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 200A-1B) 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. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. 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 5 cataloged varieties, I.L. Elwood was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200A-1B