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

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from John Zeltner of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GY-5D. 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. John Zeltner produced 39 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 165GY-5D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. 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. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. 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 39 cataloged varieties, John Zeltner was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GY-5D