(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-160B-4A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 MS64BN 04-10-2018 Heritage Auctions

Description

Jno. F. Bier & Bro, based in Chillicoth, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. With 3 known varieties, Jno. F. Bier & Bro produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 160B-4A) is common among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 3 cataloged varieties, Jno. F. Bier & Bro was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 160B-4A