(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-630BC-1G, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630BC-1G. 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 gold striking (Fuld 630BC-1G) is extremely rare among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. 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. A gold striking of any Civil War token is a major rarity, usually produced for a die sinker's personal collection or as a gift. 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

Gold strikings of Civil War tokens are among the rarest of all metal variants, produced in tiny quantities for presentation purposes or the collector market. With 9 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BC-1G