(1861) Brass Civil War Store Card F-210AA-1d, Alfred S. Robinson Hartford CT

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Alfred S. Robinson Hartford of Connecticut. Connecticut was a major arms manufacturing center, with Colt in Hartford and Winchester in New Haven. Its merchants issued tokens alongside the munitions output. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 210AA-1d) is common to somewhat scarce. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues. 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 1 cataloged varieties, Alfred S. Robinson Hartford was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 210AA-1d