(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-890A-2b, WV

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Bassett's of Wheeling, West Virginia, cataloged as Fuld 890A-2b. West Virginia separated from Virginia in 1863 to remain in the Union. Its merchants produced tokens to address the coin shortage in the newly formed state. The 13 cataloged varieties for Bassett's indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 890A-2b) is common to somewhat scarce. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 13 cataloged varieties, Bassett's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 890A-2b