(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165DM-4B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from T.W. McDonald of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165DM-4B. 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for T.W. McDonald indicate a notable level of token production. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165DM-4B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. 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. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 10 cataloged varieties, T.W. McDonald was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165DM-4B