(c.1866) Civil War Store Card F-2b, F-OH-Fisler & Chance OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$6,000 01-03-2018 Heritage Auctions

Description

This Civil War token was issued by F-OH-Fisler & Chance in Ohio. 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. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. 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 1 cataloged varieties, F-OH-Fisler & Chance was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 2b