(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-555C-7C, NJ

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Newark, New Jersey, cataloged as Fuld 555C-7C. New Jersey was a vital industrial and transportation state, with Newark, Trenton, and Paterson as major manufacturing centers where merchants issued Civil War tokens. This nickel striking (Fuld 555C-7C) is scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. 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. Nickel tokens were produced in smaller quantities than the standard copper issues. 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

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 38 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 555C-7C