(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165GO-3I, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of John Woessner's, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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 14 cataloged varieties for John Woessner's indicate a notable level of token production. The zinc composition of this variety (Fuld 165GO-3I) is scarce for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Zinc strikings are uncommon and prone to corrosion, making preserved examples desirable.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 14 cataloged varieties, John Woessner's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GO-3I