Rulau Ct-Ha 19C, Robert Fulton Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Connecticut, cataloged under Fuld Ct-Ha-19C. 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. This undated piece was struck during the Civil War coin shortage of 1862-1864, when the hoarding of gold, silver, and even copper cents left merchants without adequate change. The coin shortage of 1862-1864 affected virtually every retail transaction in the Northern states, as hoarding removed silver and copper coins from circulation faster than the U.S. Mint could replace them. Store cards like this one circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels, with private tokens becoming essential to daily trade by 1863.

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 19C