(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630BS-2a, Staudinger''s NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$120 MS65BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Staudinger''s of New York, cataloged as Fuld 630BS-2a. New York was the nation's commercial capital, with New York City alone producing hundreds of store card varieties from Broadway retailers to waterfront wholesalers. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 630BS-2a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. 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 transition from large copper cents to small-diameter bronze cents in 1857 had already created a shortage mindset, making the public particularly anxious about coin supplies when war began. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 4 cataloged varieties, Staudinger''s was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630BS-2a