(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630H-1b, J.L. Bode NY

Coin Details

Description

J.L. Bode of New York produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. New York state generated the second-largest body of Civil War token issues, concentrated in New York City but extending to Albany, Troy, Buffalo, and smaller commercial centers. This brass striking (Fuld 630H-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 9 cataloged varieties, J.L. Bode was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630H-1b