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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630E-1F. 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 silver composition of this variety (Fuld 630E-1F) is rare for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The silver composition indicates a piece produced outside the normal commercial run, as a numismatic item. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 2 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630E-1F