(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-400A-2D, MO

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by D. Peck & Co. of Ironton, Missouri. 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. This copper-nickel striking (Fuld 400A-2D) is somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 4 cataloged varieties, D. Peck & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 400A-2D