(1863) Civil War Store Card F-630BG-2D, GW-595 CuNi John Quinn NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$576 MS63 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

GW-595 CuNi John Quinn of New York issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 630BG-2D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 31 cataloged varieties, GW-595 CuNi John Quinn was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BG-2D