(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-165FQ-1b, Wm. E. Sinn OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,440 AU50 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Wm. E. Sinn in Ohio. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. With 3 known varieties, Wm. E. Sinn produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165FQ-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. 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

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

Cross References

Fuld 165FQ-1b