(1863) Silver Civil War Store Card F-95d-2fo, NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,280 MS62 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 95d-2fo. 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. 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 token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Silver examples were struck in small quantities, often for collectors or as special orders. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 1 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 95d-2fo