(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-425A-10A, AL

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by White & Swann of Huntsville, Alabama. Alabama was a Confederate state, making merchant-issued tokens from Alabama particularly unusual. Most date to early in the war or from areas under Union control. White & Swann produced 29 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. This copper striking (Fuld 425A-10A) is common among the known varieties. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 29 cataloged varieties, White & Swann was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 425A-10A