(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-975D-2a, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of James B. Childs in 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, James B. Childs produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 975D-2a) is common 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 Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation.

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, James B. Childs was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 975D-2a