(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165EV-14B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of A. Ricke, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati's position as a Union Army supply center and Ohio River trade hub made it a prolific source of Civil War tokens. John Stanton and other die sinkers based in the city produced dies for merchants across the Midwest. A. Ricke produced 23 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165EV-14B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

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-14B