(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165CU-9D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165CU-9D. 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. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 165CU-9D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 9 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165CU-9D