(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-535A-1A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from P.G. Albright of Massillon, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 535A-1A. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. The 12 cataloged varieties for P.G. Albright indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 535A-1A) is common for this merchant. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 12 cataloged varieties, P.G. Albright was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 535A-1A