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

Coin Details

Description

T.J. Quinlan of Cleveland issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Cleveland's position on Lake Erie made it a vital shipping hub for wartime goods, and its merchants participated actively in the Civil War token phenomenon. With 4 known varieties, T.J. Quinlan produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 175L-2A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern 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 4 cataloged varieties, T.J. Quinlan was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 175L-2A