(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165V-1d, Ni Chamberlain Bros. OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Ni Chamberlain Bros. of Ohio. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. Ni Chamberlain Bros. issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165V-1d) is common for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, Ni Chamberlain Bros. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165V-1d