(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-765A-1a, Butler Witter & Co. OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$110 F15BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Butler Witter & Co., based in Ravenna, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 3 known varieties, Butler Witter & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 765A-1a) is common. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. 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 3 cataloged varieties, Butler Witter & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 765A-1a