(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-710A-3a, A.M. Davis IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by A.M. Davis of New Paris, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 3 known varieties, A.M. Davis produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 710A-3a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. 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, A.M. Davis was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 710A-3a