(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630AU-1b, B. Maloney NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$105 MS63PL 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from B. Maloney of New York. 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 630AU-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. 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 3 cataloged varieties, B. Maloney was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AU-1b