(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-555B-1A, NJ

Coin Details

Auction Record

$90 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from Charles Kolb, a Newark, New Jersey business. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. Charles Kolb issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 555B-1A) is common among the known varieties. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. 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. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 7 cataloged varieties, Charles Kolb was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 555B-1A