(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-770A-6D, OH

Coin Details

Description

B.L. Crew, based in Richmond, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. B.L. Crew issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 770A-6D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 6 cataloged varieties, B.L. Crew was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 770A-6D