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

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165DE-2A — store card of M. Lindermann, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was the largest inland city in antebellum America and a critical supply center for the Union Army, driving Ohio to produce more varieties of Civil War store cards than any other state. With 3 known varieties, M. Lindermann produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165DE-2A) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 3 cataloged varieties, M. Lindermann was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165DE-2A