(1864) Zinc Civil War Store Card F-285A-4i, J.H. Thomas IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.H. Thomas, located in Fortville, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 4 known varieties, J.H. Thomas produced a modest number of token types. The zinc composition of this variety (Fuld 285A-4i) is scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Zinc strikings are uncommon and prone to corrosion, making preserved examples desirable. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 4 cataloged varieties, J.H. Thomas was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 285A-4i