(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-168A-5A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 168A-5A — store card of G.H. Fickardt & Co., Circlevill, Ohio. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. G.H. Fickardt & Co. issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 168A-5A) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. 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 6 cataloged varieties, G.H. Fickardt & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 168A-5A