(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150AG-5a, S.A. Ingram IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,320 UNC Details 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by S.A. Ingram of Chicago, Illinois. Chicago was one of the fastest-growing cities in the world by 1860, rapidly becoming America's railroad hub and grain trading center with a population of 112,000. The 10 cataloged varieties for S.A. Ingram indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 150AG-5a) is common for this merchant. 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. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 10 cataloged varieties, S.A. Ingram was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 150AG-5a