(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165EM-1A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Chas. Plumb, a Cincinnati merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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. Chas. Plumb issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165EM-1A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 9 cataloged varieties, Chas. Plumb was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165EM-1A