(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AI-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of J.N. Doniphan in Cincinnati, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. J.N. Doniphan issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165AI-2A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 9 cataloged varieties, J.N. Doniphan was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AI-2A