(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FL-1C, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165FL-1C. 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 nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 165FL-1C) is scarce for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Nickel tokens were produced in smaller quantities than the standard copper issues. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 3 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 165FL-1C