(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-915A-1a, Bartholomew & McClelland IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Bartholomew & McClelland, located in Valparaiso, Indiana. 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, Bartholomew & McClelland produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 915A-1a) is common for this merchant. 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 Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, Bartholomew & McClelland was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 915A-1a