(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-500A-1a, J. Bollinger IL

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 500A-1a — store card of W.J. Bollinger, Illinois. 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, W.J. Bollinger produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 500A-1a) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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, W.J. Bollinger was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 500A-1a