(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630J-2b, GW-577 Bridgens NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$528 MS63 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 630J-2b — store card of GW-577 Bridgens, 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. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 630J-2b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 11 cataloged varieties, GW-577 Bridgens was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630J-2b