(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AA-2B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Commission Boots & Shoes of Ohio produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. Commission Boots & Shoes issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 165AA-2B) is common to somewhat scarce. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 9 cataloged varieties, Commission Boots & Shoes was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AA-2B