(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-630AF-5a, J.A.C. Grube NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 AU58BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 630AF-5a — store card of J.A.C. Grube, New York. 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 copper, this die combination (Fuld 630AF-5a) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 5 cataloged varieties, J.A.C. Grube was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 630AF-5a