(1863) Silvered Civil War Store Card F-700E-2bp, Frank L. Gay RI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$40 UNC Details 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 700E-2bp — store card of Frank L. Gay, Providence, Rhode Island. Providence was an important manufacturing center, particularly in textiles and jewelry. The city's merchants issued Civil War tokens to maintain daily commerce. With 4 known varieties, Frank L. Gay produced a modest number of token types. Struck in silvered, this die combination (Fuld 700E-2bp) is rare. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced as presentation or collector pieces. 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

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 4 cataloged varieties, Frank L. Gay was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 700E-2bp