(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-165X-23D, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from City Hosiery, 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. City Hosiery issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 165X-23D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. 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 9 cataloged varieties, City Hosiery was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165X-23D