(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-135A-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Cox & Landers of Brooklyn, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 135A-2A. 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. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 135A-2A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. 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 cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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-2A