(1864) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-630K-9d, T. Brimelow NY
Strike Type
Coin Details
Auction Record
$186 MS65 04-08-2020 Heritage Auctions
Description
T. Brimelow 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 copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 630K-9d) 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. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. 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
Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 44 cataloged varieties, T. Brimelow was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.
Cross References
Fuld 630K-9d
External References
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