(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-550D-1b, J. Decker IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J. Decker, located in Ligonier, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 4 known varieties, J. Decker produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 550D-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 4 cataloged varieties, J. Decker was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 550D-1b