(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630V-2a, C. Doscher, Sm. Planchet NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$26 Genuine 01-20-2014 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from C. Doscher, Sm. Planchet of New York, cataloged as Fuld 630V-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. This copper striking (Fuld 630V-2a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Die sinkers in major cities competed fiercely for merchant orders, offering stock reverses that could be paired with custom obverse dies featuring the merchant's name and business information. 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 9 cataloged varieties, C. Doscher, Sm. Planchet was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630V-2a