(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-985A-1a, F.J. Halls OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$120 MS66BN 12-16-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 985A-1a — store card of F.J. Halls, Xenia, Ohio. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 985A-1a) is common for this merchant. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, the U.S. Mint dramatically increased production of small-denomination coins, and the new bronze two-cent piece helped alleviate the shortage. 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 1 cataloged varieties, F.J. Halls was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 985A-1a