(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-230B-3a, J. Durst OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$393 MS66BN 03-11-2024 eBay

Description

Civil War-era store card from J. Durst, a Dayton, Ohio business. Dayton was a prosperous manufacturing city known for its agricultural machinery and paper production. The 11 cataloged varieties for J. Durst indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 230B-3a) is common for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. The coin shortage of 1862-1864 affected virtually every retail transaction in the Northern states, as hoarding removed silver and copper coins from circulation faster than the U.S. Mint could replace them. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 11 cataloged varieties, J. Durst was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 230B-3a