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

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from S&L Smith of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165FT-3A. 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 S&L Smith indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FT-3A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. 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 12 cataloged varieties, S&L Smith was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FT-3A