(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-10A-3a, Benjamin & Herrick NY

Coin Details

Description

Benjamin & Herrick of New York produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Benjamin & Herrick operated as fruit dealers at 427 Broadway in Albany. Their 1863 tokens feature the inscription "REDEEMED AT 427 BROADWAY 1863." The fruit trade was important in Albany due to the city's position as a distribution hub on the Hudson River and Erie Canal system. This copper striking (Fuld 10A-3a) is common among the known varieties. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 21 cataloged varieties, Benjamin & Herrick was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 10A-3a