(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-630AG-1do, John P. Gruber, Overstk on 1859 1C NY Cent NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$456 MS63 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from John P. Gruber, Overstk on 1859 1C NY Cent of New York, cataloged as Fuld 630AG-1do. 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 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. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 45 cataloged varieties, John P. Gruber, Overstk on 1859 1C NY Cent was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AG-1do