(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-690D-5A, IL

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Penoyer & Larkin of Paris, Illinois, cataloged as Fuld 690D-5A. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. The 10 cataloged varieties for Penoyer & Larkin indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 690D-5A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 10 cataloged varieties, Penoyer & Larkin was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 690D-5A