(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-555C-10E, NJ

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Newark, New Jersey, cataloged as Fuld 555C-10E. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. The white metal composition of this variety (Fuld 555C-10E) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. 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. White metal (a tin-based alloy) pieces are scarcer than copper and often show significant wear from their soft composition. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 38 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 555C-10E