(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-920A-1a, West Jefferson Wms Co. OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$168 MS63BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

West Jefferson Wms Co., based in West Jefferson, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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 4 known varieties, West Jefferson Wms Co. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 920A-1a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 4 cataloged varieties, West Jefferson Wms Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 920A-1a