(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-400A-1I, MO

Coin Details

Description

D. Peck & Co., based in Ironton, Missouri, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Missouri was a contested border state with St. Louis as a Union stronghold where most Missouri Civil War store cards originated. With 4 known varieties, D. Peck & Co. produced a modest number of token types. The zinc composition of this variety (Fuld 400A-1I) is scarce for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Zinc tokens corrode easily, and surviving examples in good condition are scarce.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 4 cataloged varieties, D. Peck & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 400A-1I