(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-950A-2A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Store card of D. Carlile in Warsaw, Indiana, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. D. Carlile issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 950A-2A) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 6 cataloged varieties, D. Carlile was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 950A-2A