(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-200F-4a, Wm. H. Restieaux OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Wm. H. Restieaux, located in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus, the state capital, was a major military staging area with Camp Chase housing Confederate prisoners and thousands of Union troops training within the city. With 3 known varieties, Wm. H. Restieaux produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 200F-4a) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 3 cataloged varieties, Wm. H. Restieaux was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 200F-4a