(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-745B-3A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from S.W. Cunning of Portsmouth, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 745B-3A. 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. S.W. Cunning issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 745B-3A) is common among the known varieties. 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. 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 9 cataloged varieties, S.W. Cunning was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 745B-3A