(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-10F-1b, Elephantine Shoe Store NY

Coin Details

Description

Elephantine Shoe Store of New York issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. New York state generated the second-largest body of Civil War token issues, concentrated in New York City but extending to Albany, Troy, Buffalo, and smaller commercial centers. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 10F-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, Elephantine Shoe Store was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 10F-1b