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

Coin Details

Description

R. Downing, a Cincinnati merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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. R. Downing issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165AK-2A) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 8 cataloged varieties, R. Downing was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AK-2A