(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-290D-1d, A.D. Brandiff & Co. IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 290D-1d — store card of A.D. Brandiff & Co., Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 2 known varieties, A.D. Brandiff & Co. produced a modest number of token types. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 290D-1d) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. 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-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 2 cataloged varieties, A.D. Brandiff & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 290D-1d