(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-230C-1I, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Danville, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 230C-1I. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. This zinc striking (Fuld 230C-1I) is scarce among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Zinc strikings are uncommon and prone to corrosion, making preserved examples desirable. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 6 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 230C-1I