(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165GS-22A, OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$132 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Robert Wright of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GS-22A. Known as the "Queen of the West," Cincinnati served as a major Ohio River commercial hub. Its merchants produced hundreds of store card varieties during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Robert Wright produced 27 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165GS-22A) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 27 cataloged varieties, Robert Wright was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GS-22A