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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from New York, cataloged as Fuld 630L-5F. New York state generated the second-largest body of Civil War token issues, concentrated in New York City but extending to Albany, Troy, Buffalo, and smaller commercial centers. Struck in silver, this die combination (Fuld 630L-5F) is rare. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. 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. 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

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 42 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 630L-5F