(1863) Zinc Civil War Store Card F-630BX-1z, Wm Thierbach NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$60 UNC Details 12-13-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by Wm Thierbach of New York. 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. Struck in zinc, this die combination (Fuld 630BX-1z) is scarce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Zinc tokens corrode easily, and surviving examples in good condition are scarce. 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

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 8 cataloged varieties, Wm Thierbach was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BX-1z