(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-270A-5A, OH

Coin Details

Description

D. Farnham & Co., an Edgerton merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. D. Farnham & Co. issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 270A-5A) is common for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. 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.

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, D. Farnham & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 270A-5A