(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FI-9A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from L. Schneider of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165FI-9A. 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. The 12 cataloged varieties for L. Schneider indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FI-9A) is common 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. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage.

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 12 cataloged varieties, L. Schneider was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FI-9A