VOCABULARY TERM: STORECARD

Storecard. An advertising piece; a token or medal issued by a store in which its address and sometimes its services or merchandise is listed on the piece; a numismatic card. Storecards were a product of the 19th century in America. They became popular following the issuance of hard time tokens (1832-45). Merchants issued these to promote their store. When America reduced the size of the cent, in 1859, storecards imitated the size (and composition) of this coin. Storecards were also similar to Civil War cents, issued because of the shortage of cents in certain areas of the United States and actually circulated for small change for a time.

Diesinkers found storecards a profitable business for a decade or two, because of the coin shortage and this unusual form of merchant advertising. Designs were often pedestrian; most were all lettering, the dies of which could be made in a short time using stock punches. These could be struck with small presses owned by the diesinker, or, by companies like Scovill of Waterbury that struck more of these than any other producer over a longer period of time.

Storecards cross the boundary between tokens and medals. They are tokens if the item bears a denomination, or if was exchanged for goods or services (good for a drink, or a loaf of bread, called by collectors good fors). It was a medal if it bore no value (despite the fact it may have circulated for an unexpressed denomination).

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Storecard (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516827)
Storecard (https://nnp.washu.edu/Documents/Detail/storecard/4362328)

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