(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-175O-2a, Chas. W. Stearns OH

Coin Details

Description

Chas. W. Stearns, a Cleveland merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Cleveland's position on Lake Erie made it a vital shipping hub for wartime goods, and its merchants participated actively in the Civil War token phenomenon. Chas. W. Stearns issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 175O-2a) 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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, Chas. W. Stearns was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 175O-2a