(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-860G-6A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 860G-6A — store card of George Wyman, South Bend, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. George Wyman issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 860G-6A) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. 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 cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 7 cataloged varieties, George Wyman was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 860G-6A