(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-165Q-1b, F. Billiods OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from F. Billiods of Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165Q-1b. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. This brass striking (Fuld 165Q-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 1 cataloged varieties, F. Billiods was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165Q-1b