(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-630AM-2C, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630AM-2C. New York state generated the second-largest body of Civil War token issues, concentrated in New York City but extending to Albany, Troy, Buffalo, and smaller commercial centers. This nickel striking (Fuld 630AM-2C) is scarce among the known varieties. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Nickel tokens were produced in smaller quantities than the standard copper issues. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 11 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630AM-2C