(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630AP-2a, H.M. Lane NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$68 MS63BN 11-16-2012 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by H.M. Lane of New York. H.M. Lane operated a lamp and kerosene oil retail business at 18 Spring Street in New York City. The tokens advertise "LAMPS / KEROSENE OIL & C" and reflect the booming kerosene industry of the 1860s, when whale oil was being rapidly replaced by petroleum-based kerosene for domestic lighting. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 630AP-2a) is common for this merchant. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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 66 cataloged varieties, H.M. Lane was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AP-2a