(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-610A-1a, A.S. Twiford OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$480 AU58BN 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from A.S. Twiford of Ohio. 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, A.S. Twiford produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 610A-1a) is common for this merchant. 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. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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.S. Twiford was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 610A-1a