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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$144 AU58BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Bingham & Jarvis of New York, cataloged as Fuld 145A-3a. 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. This copper striking (Fuld 145A-3a) is common among the known varieties. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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 21 cataloged varieties, Bingham & Jarvis was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 145A-3a