(1861-65) Civil War Store Card F-LU-P-2b, Murdock & Spencer Holed OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 MS62 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Murdock & Spencer Holed of Ohio, cataloged as Fuld LU-P. 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. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Token issuers ranged from sole proprietors to large retail establishments, with some merchants ordering thousands of pieces while others had only a few hundred struck for local distribution. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, Murdock & Spencer Holed was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld LU-P