(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-168B-5a, J.L. King OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of J.L. King in Circlevill, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. J.L. King issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 168B-5a) is common. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 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 7 cataloged varieties, J.L. King was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 168B-5a