(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165W-9A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 165W-9A — store card of Cin. & Cov., 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 12 cataloged varieties for Cin. & Cov. indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165W-9A) is common. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 12 cataloged varieties, Cin. & Cov. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165W-9A