(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-995E-1d, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 995E-1d — store card of Alex R. Grant, Zanesville, Ohio. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. With 3 known varieties, Alex R. Grant produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 995E-1d) is somewhat scarce. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private 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 3 cataloged varieties, Alex R. Grant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 995E-1d