(1864) Nickel Civil War Store Card F-10B-1c, Albany NY

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Albany of New York, cataloged as Fuld 10B-1c. 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. This nickel striking (Fuld 10B-1c) is scarce among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Pure nickel pieces are harder to strike than copper, contributing to their relative scarcity. 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

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 3 cataloged varieties, Albany was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 10B-1c