(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-145A-3b, Bingham & Jarvis NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Bingham & Jarvis of New York. Bingham & Jarvis operated a drugstore in New York selling drugs, medicines, paints, and oils — a typical combination for 1860s apothecaries. Their tokens date from 1861, making them among the earliest Civil War merchant issues. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 145A-3b) is common to somewhat scarce. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 21 cataloged varieties, Bingham & Jarvis was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 145A-3b