(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-860D-1a, Hammonds IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Hammonds, located in South Bend, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 2 known varieties, Hammonds produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 860D-1a) is common. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. 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

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, Hammonds was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 860D-1a