(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165BA-6A, OH

Coin Details

Description

John Galvagni of Cincinnati issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War 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. John Galvagni issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165BA-6A) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes.

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 9 cataloged varieties, John Galvagni was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BA-6A