(1862) Copper Civil War Store Card F-370A-1a, E. & L. Small IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from E. & L. Small, a Hagerstown, Indiana business. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. E. & L. Small issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 370A-1a) is common. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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 9 cataloged varieties, E. & L. Small was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 370A-1a