(1861) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-630AP-11do, H.M. Lane NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$504 MS65 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

H.M. Lane of New York produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. H.M. Lane operated a lamp and kerosene oil retail business at 18 Spring Street in New York City. The tokens advertise "LAMPS / KEROSENE OIL & C" and reflect the booming kerosene industry of the 1860s, when whale oil was being rapidly replaced by petroleum-based kerosene for domestic lighting. 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. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

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 66 cataloged varieties, H.M. Lane was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AP-11do