(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-975B-6d, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.R. Bowman, located in Wooster, 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for J.R. Bowman indicate a notable level of token production. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 975B-6d) 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. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. 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 10 cataloged varieties, J.R. Bowman was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 975B-6d