(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-640A-2A, M. Walsh & Sons NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 MS62BN 05-29-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 640A-2A — store card of M. Walsh & Sons, New York. 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. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 640A-2A) is common. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The Act of April 22, 1864 effectively ended private coinage by imposing penalties of up to five years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine for producing unauthorized coins or tokens. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, M. Walsh & Sons was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 640A-2A