(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165EV-11B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from A. Ricke of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165EV-11B. 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. A. Ricke produced 23 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165EV-11B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 23 cataloged varieties, A. Ricke was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165EV-11B