(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-990A-2a, OH

Coin Details

Description

W. & A.J. Packard of Ohio issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 4 known varieties, W. & A.J. Packard produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 990A-2a) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. 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. 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 4 cataloged varieties, W. & A.J. Packard was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 990A-2a