(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-930B-2A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$288 MS64BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by W.H. McGrew, operating in West Unity, Ohio. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 2 known varieties, W.H. McGrew produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 930B-2A) is common for this merchant. 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. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 2 cataloged varieties, W.H. McGrew was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 930B-2A