(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165L-4a, C.H. Beers OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from C.H. Beers, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. The 15 cataloged varieties for C.H. Beers indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165L-4a) is common for this merchant. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 15 cataloged varieties, C.H. Beers was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165L-4a