(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-481/493Bb, Hope/Fremont & Dayton

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Hope/Fremont & Dayton of Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 481/493Bb. 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 2 known varieties, Hope/Fremont & Dayton produced a modest number of token types. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The transition from large copper cents to small-diameter bronze cents in 1857 had already created a shortage mindset, making the public particularly anxious about coin supplies when war began. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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, Hope/Fremont & Dayton was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 481/493Bb