(c.1864) Silver Civil War Store Card F-630BJ-1fo, GW-673 NY Sanitary Fair NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,480 MS63 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Store card of GW-673 NY Sanitary Fair 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. This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. 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. The silver composition indicates a piece produced outside the normal commercial run, as a numismatic item. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 5 cataloged varieties, GW-673 NY Sanitary Fair was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BJ-1fo