(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-460A-1B, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord of Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis served as a major Union military staging area, with Camp Morton housing Confederate prisoners and Governor Morton directing one of the war's most vigorous state efforts. Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 460A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 5 cataloged varieties, Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460A-1B