(1861) Copper Civil War Store Card F-260D-3a, John Cuipe IN

Coin Details

Description

John Cuipe, an Elkhart merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 3 known varieties, John Cuipe produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 260D-3a) is common for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. 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 3 cataloged varieties, John Cuipe was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 260D-3a