(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-150BB-4a, J.F. Siehler IL

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 150BB-4a — store card of J.F. Siehler, 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. J.F. Siehler issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 150BB-4a) is common for this merchant. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 6 cataloged varieties, J.F. Siehler was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 150BB-4a