(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-160I-2D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Chillicoth, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 160I-2D. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 160I-2D) is somewhat scarce. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 4 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 160I-2D