(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-175R-2b, Holed Jos. Welf OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Holed Jos. Welf of Ohio. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. With 3 known varieties, Holed Jos. Welf produced a modest number of token types. This brass striking (Fuld 175R-2b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. 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

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, Holed Jos. Welf was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 175R-2b