(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165GY-27B, OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from John Zeltner of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GY-27B. 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. John Zeltner produced 39 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 165GY-27B) is common to somewhat scarce 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. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 39 cataloged varieties, John Zeltner was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GY-27B