(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-630BZ-5E, NY

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630BZ-5E. 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. The white metal composition of this variety (Fuld 630BZ-5E) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. 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. White metal strikings are less common than copper or brass and show more wear due to the soft alloy. 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

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 25 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630BZ-5E