(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165BX-4a, B. Hintrick & C. Glaser OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$288 MS63BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

B. Hintrick & C. Glaser of Cincinnati issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. B. Hintrick & C. Glaser issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165BX-4a) is common for this merchant. 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. 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

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 8 cataloged varieties, B. Hintrick & C. Glaser was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BX-4a