(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165GR-1a, Wright OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Wright of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GR-1a. 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. With 2 known varieties, Wright produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165GR-1a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Wright was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165GR-1a