(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-230A-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of R.K. Carter, located in Danville, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 4 known varieties, R.K. Carter produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 230A-2A) is common. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. 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 Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 4 cataloged varieties, R.K. Carter was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 230A-2A