(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-500F-1b, S.C. Evans & Co. IN

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by S.C. Evans & Co., operating in Kendallville, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. S.C. Evans & Co. issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 500F-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 5 cataloged varieties, S.C. Evans & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 500F-1b