(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-630BWa-1h, Plastic Taylor & Dickson NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Plastic Taylor & Dickson of New York. 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. Struck in lead, this die combination (Fuld 630BWa-1h) is scarce. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Lead strikings were produced as trial pieces or die tests before the main production run. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Lead strikings are uncommon, likely produced as trial pieces or die tests rather than for commercial circulation. With 1 cataloged varieties, Plastic Taylor & Dickson was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630BWa-1h