(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-200F-3a, Wm. H. Restieaux OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Wm. H. Restieaux in Columbus, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. As Ohio's capital, Columbus saw enormous wartime military activity, and its merchants issued tokens to facilitate commerce amid the acute coin shortage. With 3 known varieties, Wm. H. Restieaux produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 200F-3a) is common for this merchant. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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

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 3 cataloged varieties, Wm. H. Restieaux was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 200F-3a