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

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165T-2A — store card of J. Campbell, Cincinnati, Ohio. 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for J. Campbell indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165T-2A) is common. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 10 cataloged varieties, J. Campbell was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165T-2A