(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-360A-2d, Carr Ryon & Co IN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,040 MS65 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Carr Ryon & Co, based in Greenfield, 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. Carr Ryon & Co issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 360A-2d) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. 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. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. 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-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 6 cataloged varieties, Carr Ryon & Co was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 360A-2d