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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Wagner's, a Columbus, Ohio business. 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. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 200I-3A) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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-3A