(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165GS-5D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Robert Wright of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GS-5D. 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. Robert Wright produced 27 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 165GS-5D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 27 cataloged varieties, Robert Wright was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GS-5D