(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-755A-2a, L. Wiles OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from L. Wiles, a Putnam, Ohio business. 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, L. Wiles produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 755A-2a) is common. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, L. Wiles was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 755A-2a