(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-25A-1bo, Holed Ella Buchanan OH

Coin Details

Description

Holed Ella Buchanan of Ohio issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 1 cataloged varieties, Holed Ella Buchanan was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 25A-1bo