Rulau Ct-Ha 19B, Robert Fulton Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Connecticut, cataloged under Fuld Ct-Ha-19B. 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. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when wartime hoarding of federal coinage created severe small change shortages. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage, which was hoarded for its metal content during the war. Surviving examples of Civil War tokens document the ingenuity of Northern merchants in maintaining commercial activity during the disruption of the federal coinage system.

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 19B