(1861) Civil War Store Card F-630K-5do, NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,400 MS66 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630K-5do. 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. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 44 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630K-5do