(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-795A-3A, IL

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.C. Yager, located in Springfld, Illinois. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. J.C. Yager issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 795A-3A) is common. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern 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 5 cataloged varieties, J.C. Yager was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 795A-3A