(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-570G-1a, McDonald & Co. IN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$105 MS62BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of McDonald & Co., located in Logansport, Indiana. Hoosier merchants in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and smaller towns issued Civil War tokens reflecting Indiana's diverse commercial landscape. With 2 known varieties, McDonald & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 570G-1a) 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. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 2 cataloged varieties, McDonald & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 570G-1a