(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-500F-3A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from S.C. Evans & Co. of Kendallville, Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 500F-3A. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. S.C. Evans & Co. issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 500F-3A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 5 cataloged varieties, S.C. Evans & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 500F-3A