(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-770A-5A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Johnson & Oursler of Plainfield, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. The 11 cataloged varieties for Johnson & Oursler indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 770A-5A) is common for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 11 cataloged varieties, Johnson & Oursler was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 770A-5A