(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-275A-1A, IL

Coin Details

Description

P.H. Tompkins, based in EL Paso, Illinois, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. With 3 known varieties, P.H. Tompkins produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 275A-1A) is common for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 3 cataloged varieties, P.H. Tompkins was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 275A-1A