(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AS-1A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$55 MS63 09-22-2016 Heritage Auctions

Description

F. Fischer, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. F. Fischer issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165AS-1A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. 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, F. Fischer was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AS-1A