(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FP-8A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from F. Sheen of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165FP-8A. 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 16 cataloged varieties for F. Sheen indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FP-8A) is common for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864.

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 16 cataloged varieties, F. Sheen was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FP-8A