(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-770B-1d, M. Osborn IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from M. Osborn, a Plainfield, Indiana business. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. M. Osborn issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 770B-1d) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 8 cataloged varieties, M. Osborn was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 770B-1d