(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630BG-1b, John Quinn NY

Coin Details

Description

John Quinn of New York issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. John Quinn operated a grocery store at the corner of 26th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City. His tokens feature the patriotic reverse inscription "MONEY MAKES THE MARE GO — GO IT BUTTONS" with imagery of a man walking with coins spilling from a bindle. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 630BG-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 31 cataloged varieties, John Quinn was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BG-1b