(1860-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-885A-1b, B.W. Titus NJ

Coin Details

Auction Record

$945 NGC Genuine 04-04-2018 eBay

Description

Civil War-era store card from B.W. Titus of New Jersey. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. With 3 known varieties, B.W. Titus produced a modest number of token types. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 885A-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. 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. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, B.W. Titus was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 885A-1b