(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-500U-2b, D.S. Welch IN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$445 MS63 03-11-2024 eBay

Description

Merchant token from D.S. Welch of Kendallville, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 500U-2b. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. D.S. Welch issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 500U-2b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. 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 brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, D.S. Welch was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 500U-2b