(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150AQ-1a, Oppenheimer & Metzger IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$144 MS65BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Oppenheimer & Metzger of Illinois, cataloged as Fuld 150AQ-1a. Illinois was a critical Union state with Chicago rapidly becoming one of America's largest commercial centers, driving token production across the state. With 2 known varieties, Oppenheimer & Metzger produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 150AQ-1a) is common for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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, Oppenheimer & Metzger was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150AQ-1a