(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-460I-4d, J.B. Johnson IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by J.B. Johnson of Indianapolis, Indiana. As Indiana's capital and a major railroad hub, Indianapolis was the center of the state's Civil War token production, with merchants using tokens as practical emergency currency. J.B. Johnson issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 460I-4d) is somewhat scarce. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. 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 6 cataloged varieties, J.B. Johnson was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460I-4d