(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-135A-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Cox & Landers, operating in Brooklyn, Indiana. Brooklyn was the third-largest city in America before consolidation with New York in 1898, with its own active commercial district and token-issuing merchants. Cox & Landers issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 135A-1A) is common among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 6 cataloged varieties, Cox & Landers was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 135A-1A