(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-175E-1a, S.S. Lavey IN

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by S.S. Lavey, operating in Columbia, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 4 known varieties, S.S. Lavey produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 175E-1a) is common among the known varieties. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. 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 4 cataloged varieties, S.S. Lavey was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 175E-1a