(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-650A-1A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$109 AU58BN 02-09-2022 Heritage Auctions

Description

Merchant token from Saml. Bishop of N. Liberty, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 650A-1A. 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, Saml. Bishop produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 650A-1A) is common among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. 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. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, Saml. Bishop was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 650A-1A