(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165EU-6A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from J.F. Resta of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165EU-6A. 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 12 cataloged varieties for J.F. Resta indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165EU-6A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 12 cataloged varieties, J.F. Resta was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165EU-6A