(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-355A-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

C. Crooks & Co. of Granville 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. Crooks & Co. issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 355A-1A) is common. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. 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 6 cataloged varieties, C. Crooks & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 355A-1A