(1862) Brass Civil War Store Card F-750V-4b, GW-556 N & G. Taylor Co. PA

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from GW-557 N & G. Taylor Co. of Phila, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 750V-4b. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. GW-557 N & G. Taylor Co. issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 750V-4b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, GW-557 N & G. Taylor Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 750V-4b