(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-160A-3A, IN

Coin Details

Description

C. Bond of Cadiz issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. C. Bond issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 160A-3A) is common. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. 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, C. Bond was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 160A-3A