(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-200A-3B, OH

Coin Details

Description

John Grether of Columbus issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. 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. This brass striking (Fuld 200A-3B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

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-3B