(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-880B-2a, S.K. Harter OH

Coin Details

Description

S.K. Harter of Ohio issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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, S.K. Harter produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 880B-2a) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. 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. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, S.K. Harter was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 880B-2a