(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-860E-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by J.C. Knoblock, operating in South Bend, 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, J.C. Knoblock produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 860E-1A) is common for this merchant. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, J.C. Knoblock was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 860E-1A