(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-175H-1a, J.H. & A.S. Gorham OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$360 MS65BN 12-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from J.H. & A.S. Gorham, a Cleveland, Ohio business. Cleveland was a major Lake Erie port and growing industrial center connected to Eastern markets by railroad and the Ohio & Erie Canal. With 2 known varieties, J.H. & A.S. Gorham produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 175H-1a) is common among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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, J.H. & A.S. Gorham was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 175H-1a