(1863) Civil War Store Card F-630W-1do, Felix Struck Over 1858 SL 1C NY Cent NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$705 MS64 11-16-2012 Stack's Bowers

Description

Felix Struck Over 1858 SL 1C NY Cent 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 piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. 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

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 12 cataloged varieties, Felix Struck Over 1858 SL 1C NY Cent was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630W-1do