(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165EV-6B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from A. Ricke of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165EV-6B. 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-6B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

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-6B