(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-935A-3a, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 935A-3a — store card of Owens & Taylor, Wilmington, 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. Owens & Taylor issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 935A-3a) 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 5 cataloged varieties, Owens & Taylor was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 935A-3a