(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165GP-3a, G. Wolfer OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165GP-3a — store card of G. Wolfer, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. G. Wolfer issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 165GP-3a) 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. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 9 cataloged varieties, G. Wolfer was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GP-3a