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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Wagner's of 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. Wagner's issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 200I-2A) is common 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. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 6 cataloged varieties, Wagner's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200I-2A