(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FN-5A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from W. Mendal Shafer, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. Known as the "Queen of the West," Cincinnati served as a major Ohio River commercial hub. Its merchants produced hundreds of store card varieties during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. The 14 cataloged varieties for W. Mendal Shafer indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FN-5A) is common for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 14 cataloged varieties, W. Mendal Shafer was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FN-5A