(1863) German-Silver Civil War Store Card F-630AX-2j, Edward Miehling's NY

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Edward Miehling's in New York, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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 german-silver composition of this variety (Fuld 630AX-2j) is scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. German silver pieces have a silvery-white color that distinguishes them from the more common copper and brass strikings. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

German silver (a copper-nickel-zinc alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and are sought after for their distinctive silvery appearance. With 6 cataloged varieties, Edward Miehling's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630AX-2j