(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-960A-1b, J.W. Walton OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.W. Walton, located in Woodsfield, 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. J.W. Walton issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 960A-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, J.W. Walton was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 960A-1b