(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-750E-1a, M.F. Beirn PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$234 NGC Genuine 06-26-2022 eBay

Description

M.F. Beirn of Pennsylvania issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 2 known varieties, M.F. Beirn produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 750E-1a) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, M.F. Beirn was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 750E-1a