(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-995A-1B, IN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Indiana, cataloged as Fuld 995A-1B. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 995A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. 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. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 4 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 995A-1B