(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165S-2a, A. Bruggemann OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 AU53BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from A. Bruggemann, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. With 2 known varieties, A. Bruggemann produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165S-2a) is common. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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, A. Bruggemann was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165S-2a