(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-775A-1a, W.B. Castle IL

Coin Details

Auction Record

$240 MS62BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from W.B. Castle of 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 3 known varieties, W.B. Castle produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 775A-1a) is common among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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 3 cataloged varieties, W.B. Castle was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 775A-1a