(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165DT-1a, Miedeking OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$168 MS63BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 165DT-1a — store card of Miedeking, Cincinnati, Ohio. Known as the "Queen of the West," Cincinnati served as a major Ohio River commercial hub. Its merchants produced hundreds of store card varieties during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Miedeking issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165DT-1a) is common. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, Miedeking was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165DT-1a