(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630L-13b, Broas Pie Baker NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$144 MS65 01-12-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Broas Pie Baker of New York issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. The Broas family, led by James Ira Broas and his sons, operated a pie bakery at 131 41st Street in New York City. Their tokens carry patriotic reverses including "ONE COUNTRY" and "UNITED WE STAND." A large quantity was produced — far exceeding pie advertising needs — suggesting they circulated as general small change. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 630L-13b) 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. 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 42 cataloged varieties, Broas Pie Baker was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630L-13b