(1864) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630K-9b, T. Brimelow NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$132 MS64 04-08-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

Store card of T. Brimelow 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 brass composition of this variety (Fuld 630K-9b) is common to 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. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 44 cataloged varieties, T. Brimelow was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630K-9b