(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-725A-2a, G. Beach OH

Coin Details

Description

G. Beach of Ohio produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. With 3 known varieties, G. Beach produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 725A-2a) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 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 3 cataloged varieties, G. Beach was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 725A-2a