(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165CT-2a, Koos OH

Coin Details

Description

Koos 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. With 2 known varieties, Koos produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165CT-2a) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Koos was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165CT-2a