(1863) White Metal Civil War Store Card F-630BB-7e, Monk's NY

Coin Details

Description

Monk's of New York produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. The white metal composition of this variety (Fuld 630BB-7e) is somewhat 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. White metal (a tin-based alloy) pieces are scarcer than copper and often show significant wear from their soft composition. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 81 cataloged varieties, Monk's was one of the most prolific merchants in the series.

Cross References

Fuld 630BB-7e