(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-200A-2B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 200A-2B — store card of John Grether, Columbus, Ohio. Columbus, the state capital, was a major military staging area with Camp Chase housing Confederate prisoners and thousands of Union troops training within the city. The 12 cataloged varieties for John Grether indicate a notable level of token production. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 200A-2B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 12 cataloged varieties, John Grether was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200A-2B