(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-975J-1a, Nold & Co. OH

Coin Details

Description

Nold & Co., based in Wooster, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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 2 known varieties, Nold & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 975J-1a) is common. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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, Nold & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 975J-1a