(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165EX-1a, Geo. W. Ritter's OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Geo. W. Ritter's, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. With 3 known varieties, Geo. W. Ritter's produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 165EX-1a) is common among the known varieties. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. 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 3 cataloged varieties, Geo. W. Ritter's was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165EX-1a