(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165H-2a, S. Bacciocco OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS64BN 12-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

S. Bacciocco, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime 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. With 4 known varieties, S. Bacciocco produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165H-2a) is common 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 4 cataloged varieties, S. Bacciocco was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165H-2a