(1863) Civil War Store Card F-150A-1a, S.S. Early & Co. IN

Coin Details

Description

S.S. Early & Co., based in Brownstown, Indiana, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 2 known varieties, S.S. Early & Co. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 150A-1a) is common among the known varieties. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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 2 cataloged varieties, S.S. Early & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 150A-1a