(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630K-5b, GW-668 T. Brimelow NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$408 MS65 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by GW-668 T. Brimelow in 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 630K-5b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues. 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 44 cataloged varieties, GW-668 T. Brimelow was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630K-5b