(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-240A-7d, Ruhl's OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$780 MS63 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Ruhl's, operating in Defiance, Ohio. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Ruhl's issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 240A-7d) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. 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-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 9 cataloged varieties, Ruhl's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 240A-7d