(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-855A-2a, E.C. Saylor OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from E.C. Saylor of Tippecanoe, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 855A-2a. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 4 known varieties, E.C. Saylor produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 855A-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. 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 4 cataloged varieties, E.C. Saylor was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 855A-2a