(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165GH-6I, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from H.C. Wehrman, 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 12 cataloged varieties for H.C. Wehrman indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in zinc, this die combination (Fuld 165GH-6I) is scarce. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Zinc tokens corrode easily, and surviving examples in good condition are scarce.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 12 cataloged varieties, H.C. Wehrman was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GH-6I