(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-500D-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by W. & J.R. Bunyan of Kendallville, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 2 known varieties, W. & J.R. Bunyan produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 500D-2A) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. 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 Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 2 cataloged varieties, W. & J.R. Bunyan was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 500D-2A