(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165BX-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Store card of B. Hintrick & C. Glaser in Cincinnati, Ohio, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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. B. Hintrick & C. Glaser issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165BX-2A) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, B. Hintrick & C. Glaser was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BX-2A