(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165AS-5A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,233 MS67BN 09-07-2016 Heritage Auctions

Description

Merchant token from F. Fischer of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165AS-5A. 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. F. Fischer issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165AS-5A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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-5A