(1863) Civil War Store Card F-165X-1a, City Hosiery OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from City Hosiery of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165X-1a. 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. City Hosiery issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165X-1a) 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 9 cataloged varieties, City Hosiery was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165X-1a