(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-305A-2B, IN

Coin Details

Description

G.W. Follett, a Fremont merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. G.W. Follett issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 305A-2B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 7 cataloged varieties, G.W. Follett was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 305A-2B