(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-615A-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by C. Stutz of Middlebury, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. C. Stutz issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 615A-1A) is common. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, C. Stutz was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 615A-1A