(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-200A-5D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by John Grether of Columbus, Ohio. As Ohio's capital, Columbus saw enormous wartime military activity, and its merchants issued tokens to facilitate commerce amid the acute coin shortage. The 12 cataloged varieties for John Grether indicate a notable level of token production. This copper-nickel striking (Fuld 200A-5D) is somewhat scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 12 cataloged varieties, John Grether was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200A-5D