(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-445A-4a, Geo. D. Riegel OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Geo. D. Riegel of Laurelvill, Ohio. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. Geo. D. Riegel issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 445A-4a) 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. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 8 cataloged varieties, Geo. D. Riegel was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 445A-4a