(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-165DU-3b, S-B- Monarch OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165DU-3b — store card of S-B- Monarch, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. With 3 known varieties, S-B- Monarch produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165DU-3b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, S-B- Monarch was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165DU-3b