(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-145A-2F, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 145A-2F. 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. Struck in silver, this die combination (Fuld 145A-2F) is rare. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The silver composition indicates a piece produced outside the normal commercial run, as a numismatic item. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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-2F