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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165AY-3F. Ohio produced more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state, driven by Cincinnati's role as the largest inland city and a Union Army supply hub. This silver striking (Fuld 165AY-3F) is rare among the known varieties. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced as presentation or collector pieces. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 9 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165AY-3F