(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-750E-1k, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 750E-1k. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 17 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 750E-1k