(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-630D-1b, H.J. Bang NY

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from H.J. Bang of New York, cataloged as Fuld 630D-1b. 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 brass striking (Fuld 630D-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. 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. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 3 cataloged varieties, H.J. Bang was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630D-1b