(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-935D-2a, T.R. Wraith OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from T.R. Wraith, a Wilmington, Ohio business. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. With 3 known varieties, T.R. Wraith produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 935D-2a) is common for this merchant. 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 3 cataloged varieties, T.R. Wraith was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 935D-2a