(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-120B-2B, IN

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Ash & Black in Bowlinggrn, Indiana, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. Ash & Black issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 120B-2B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. 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 7 cataloged varieties, Ash & Black was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 120B-2B