(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-460E-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from M.H. Good of Indianapolis, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 460E-2A. 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. M.H. Good issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 460E-2A) is common. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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 7 cataloged varieties, M.H. Good was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460E-2A