(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FH-3A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from H. Schmidt's of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165FH-3A. 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 11 cataloged varieties for H. Schmidt's indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FH-3A) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens.

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 11 cataloged varieties, H. Schmidt's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FH-3A