(1861) Brass Civil War Store Card F-350F-1b, Lawrence & Noble IN

Coin Details

Description

Lawrence & Noble of Goshen issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 2 known varieties, Lawrence & Noble produced a modest number of token types. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 350F-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. 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 brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. 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

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Lawrence & Noble was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 350F-1b