(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630BG-2b, Thick Plan John Quinn NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS63 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Thick Plan John Quinn of New York issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. 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. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 630BG-2b) is common to somewhat scarce. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Fuld 630BG-2b