(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-885A-2b, B.W. Titus NJ

Coin Details

Auction Record

$240 MS64 01-12-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Store card of B.W. Titus in New Jersey, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. With 3 known varieties, B.W. Titus produced a modest number of token types. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 885A-2b) is common to somewhat scarce. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Fuld 885A-2b