(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-640A-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of W.H.P. Woodward, located in Mooresvill, Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. With 3 known varieties, W.H.P. Woodward produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 640A-1A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 3 cataloged varieties, W.H.P. Woodward was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 640A-1A