(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-330G-1b, Roberts & Sheldon OH

Coin Details

Description

Roberts & Sheldon of Fremont issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. 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, Roberts & Sheldon produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 330G-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Roberts & Sheldon was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 330G-1b