(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-860D-1a, Plessner & Son OH

Coin Details

Description

Plessner & Son of Ohio issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. 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 2 known varieties, Plessner & Son produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 860D-1a) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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, Plessner & Son was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 860D-1a