(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630AG-3b, John P. Gruber NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$120 MS63 01-12-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

John P. Gruber of New York issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. 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 brass striking (Fuld 630AG-3b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. 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 45 cataloged varieties, John P. Gruber was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AG-3b