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

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from J.B. Johnson of Indianapolis, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 460I-1A. 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. J.B. Johnson issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 460I-1A) is common among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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, J.B. Johnson was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460I-1A