(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-430D-2a, Jesse Davies IN

Coin Details

Description

Jesse Davies, based in Huntington, 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 3 known varieties, Jesse Davies produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 430D-2a) is common. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 3 cataloged varieties, Jesse Davies was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 430D-2a