(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-850A-3A, OH

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by M.J. Kirchner, operating in Tiffin, Ohio. 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. With 3 known varieties, M.J. Kirchner produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 850A-3A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, M.J. Kirchner was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 850A-3A