(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-365A-1a, Baldwin & Sweet IN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 XF45BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by Baldwin & Sweet of Indiana. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 365A-1a) is common. 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 1 cataloged varieties, Baldwin & Sweet was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 365A-1a