(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-750E-3e, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 750E-3e. 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. The white metal composition of this variety (Fuld 750E-3e) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. White metal (a tin-based alloy) pieces are scarcer than copper and often show significant wear from their soft composition.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 17 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 750E-3e