(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-330D-1a, Emrich & Co. OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Emrich & Co. of Fremont, Ohio. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. With 2 known varieties, Emrich & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 330D-1a) is common. 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. 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 2 cataloged varieties, Emrich & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 330D-1a