(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165FV-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Chas. Spreen, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. 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 11 cataloged varieties for Chas. Spreen indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165FV-2A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 11 cataloged varieties, Chas. Spreen was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165FV-2A