(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-995B-1a, OH

Coin Details

Description

H.G.O. Cary of Ohio produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. H.G.O. Cary issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 995B-1a) 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. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 6 cataloged varieties, H.G.O. Cary was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 995B-1a