(1863) Civil War Store Card F-200B-1a, Heintz & Henkle OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Heintz & Henkle, a Columbus, Ohio business. Columbus, the state capital, was a major military staging area with Camp Chase housing Confederate prisoners and thousands of Union troops training within the city. Heintz & Henkle issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 200B-1a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 5 cataloged varieties, Heintz & Henkle was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200B-1a