(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-140A-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from H. Linck of Brookville, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 140A-2A. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. The 10 cataloged varieties for H. Linck indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 140A-2A) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 10 cataloged varieties, H. Linck was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 140A-2A