(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165J-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from R. Bathgate, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. 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. R. Bathgate issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 165J-2A) is common for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 9 cataloged varieties, R. Bathgate was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165J-2A