(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-175H-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of J.H. & A.S. Gorham in Cleveland, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Cleveland was a major Lake Erie port and growing industrial center connected to Eastern markets by railroad and the Ohio & Erie Canal. With 2 known varieties, J.H. & A.S. Gorham produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 175H-2A) is common for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 2 cataloged varieties, J.H. & A.S. Gorham was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 175H-2A