(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-145A-1F, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 145A-1F. 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 silver striking (Fuld 145A-1F) is rare among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced as presentation or collector pieces. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 21 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 145A-1F