Rulau Ct-Ha 19A, Robert Fulton Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Connecticut, cataloged under Fuld Ct-Ha-19A. Connecticut was a major arms manufacturing center during the Civil War, with the Colt factory in Hartford and Winchester in New Haven producing firearms for the Union. Connecticut merchants issued store cards as emergency small change. Like most Civil War store cards, this undated token was issued circa 1862-1864 during the period when federal coinage was withdrawn from circulation by hoarders. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with privately issued tokens. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. Die sinkers produced token dies on commission from merchants or speculatively for sale across multiple cities and states.

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 1 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Rulau Ct Ha 19A