(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-165DW-5b, Morgan & Ferry OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Morgan & Ferry in Cincinnati, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. The 19 cataloged varieties for Morgan & Ferry indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 165DW-5b) is common to somewhat scarce. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. 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. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 19 cataloged varieties, Morgan & Ferry was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165DW-5b