(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-995A-3a, E.E. Hasse NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$115 MS64BN 12-16-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from E.E. Hasse of New York, cataloged as Fuld 995A-3a. New York was the nation's commercial capital, with New York City alone producing hundreds of store card varieties from Broadway retailers to waterfront wholesalers. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 995A-3a) is common. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. The coin shortage of 1862-1864 affected virtually every retail transaction in the Northern states, as hoarding removed silver and copper coins from circulation faster than the U.S. Mint could replace them. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 3 cataloged varieties, E.E. Hasse was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 995A-3a