(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AE-4A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Costello's of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165AE-4A. Known as the "Queen of the West," Cincinnati served as a major Ohio River commercial hub. Its merchants produced hundreds of store card varieties during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Costello's produced 20 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165AE-4A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 20 cataloged varieties, Costello's was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AE-4A