(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165F-4D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165F-4D — store card of J.S. Austin, 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for J.S. Austin indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 165F-4D) is somewhat scarce. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 10 cataloged varieties, J.S. Austin was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165F-4D