(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-630AQ-4C, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630AQ-4C. 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. This nickel striking (Fuld 630AQ-4C) is scarce among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Nickel strikings are scarcer than copper or brass versions and have a distinctive silvery appearance. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

Nickel strikings are generally scarcer than copper or brass versions, as nickel was more expensive and harder to strike. With 45 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630AQ-4C