(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-5A-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Stoner & Shroyer of Adamsville, Ohio. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. With 40 cataloged die varieties, Stoner & Shroyer was one of the most prolific token issuers in the series. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 5A-2A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. 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 40 cataloged varieties, Stoner & Shroyer was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 5A-2A