(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AL-3A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS64 11-07-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

Civil War-era store card from L. Eckert, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. 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. L. Eckert issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 165AL-3A) is common among the known varieties. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. 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 8 cataloged varieties, L. Eckert was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AL-3A