(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-890F-1a, WV

Coin Details

Description

J.W.C. Smith, based in Wheeling, West Virginia, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. With 2 known varieties, J.W.C. Smith produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 890F-1a) is common for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 2 cataloged varieties, J.W.C. Smith was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 890F-1a