(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-100A-1B, IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 100A-1B — store card of Thompson & Wiley, Bethel, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 3 known varieties, Thompson & Wiley produced a modest number of token types. This brass striking (Fuld 100A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. 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 brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, Thompson & Wiley was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 100A-1B