(1861-65) White Metal Civil War Store Card F-145A-2e, Bingham & Jarvis NY

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Bingham & Jarvis in 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. This white metal striking (Fuld 145A-2e) is somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. White metal (a tin-based alloy) pieces are scarcer than copper and often show significant wear from their soft composition. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 21 cataloged varieties, Bingham & Jarvis was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 145A-2e