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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by J.A. Hughes of Cincinnati, Ohio. 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. J.A. Hughes issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165BZ-2A) is common. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 6 cataloged varieties, J.A. Hughes was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165BZ-2A