(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-330H-1A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 MS66BN 12-16-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Store card of Thompson & Spicer in Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 3 known varieties, Thompson & Spicer produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 330H-1A) is common. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. 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 3 cataloged varieties, Thompson & Spicer was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 330H-1A