(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-770A-1B, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Johnson & Oursler, a Plainfield, Indiana business. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. The 11 cataloged varieties for Johnson & Oursler indicate a notable level of token production. This brass striking (Fuld 770A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 11 cataloged varieties, Johnson & Oursler was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 770A-1B