(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-495A-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 495A-2A — store card of Robt. Cooder, Jonesboro, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. Robt. Cooder issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 495A-2A) is common for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, Robt. Cooder was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 495A-2A