(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630AB-7a, A. Gavron NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$36 UNC Details 11-16-2012 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by A. Gavron of New York. Amelia Gavron operated a sausage-making business at 213 Bowery and 102 Pitt Street in New York City. She is one of the very few female merchants known to have issued Civil War tokens. Her pieces are among the rarest NYC store cards, with most varieties rated R-8 or higher. This copper striking (Fuld 630AB-7a) is common among the known varieties. 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. 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 41 cataloged varieties, A. Gavron was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AB-7a