(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-120A-1A, IN

Coin Details

Description

Re O.H.P. Ash's, based in Bowlinggrn, Indiana, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Indiana was an important agricultural and manufacturing state, with merchants producing store cards as emergency currency when federal coinage was hoarded. Re O.H.P. Ash's issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 120A-1A) is common among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 9 cataloged varieties, Re O.H.P. Ash's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 120A-1A