(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-555B-1do, Charles Kolb NJ

Coin Details

Auction Record

$528 MS63 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Charles Kolb, operating in Newark, New Jersey. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. Charles Kolb issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 7 cataloged varieties, Charles Kolb was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 555B-1do