(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-460A-3A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 460A-3A — store card of Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord, Indianapolis, Indiana. As Indiana's capital and a major railroad hub, Indianapolis was the center of the state's Civil War token production, with merchants using tokens as practical emergency currency. Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 460A-3A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 5 cataloged varieties, Alvord, Cladwell & Alvord was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460A-3A