(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165GG-5a, Weatherby's OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$204 MS64BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from Weatherby's, a Cincinnati, Ohio business. 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. Weatherby's issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 165GG-5a) is common. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, Weatherby's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GG-5a