(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630AD-1b, GW-580 H.D. Gerdts NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$432 MS64 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

GW-580 H.D. Gerdts of New York produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 630AD-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 7 cataloged varieties, GW-580 H.D. Gerdts was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630AD-1b