(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-165GL-3a, A.B. Wlison OH

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from A.B. Wlison of Cincinnati, Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 165GL-3a. 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 17 cataloged varieties for A.B. Wlison indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 165GL-3a) is common among the known varieties. 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. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 17 cataloged varieties, A.B. Wlison was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 165GL-3a