New York, Civil War Merchant Token. Gustavus Lindenmueller, 1863.

New York Civil War Merchant Token. Gustavus Lindenmueller
New York, Civil War Merchant Token. Gustavus Lindenmueller
New York, Civil War Merchant Token. Gustavus Lindenmueller Beer / Barkeep, 1863.

Obverse: Bearded bust left within a circle of 13 stars. Designer´s signature and date below.
Legend: ************* 1863 / L. ROLOFF

Reverse: A mug of beer within wreath.
Legend: GUSTAVUS LINDENMUELLER NEW YORK

References: Rulau 630AQ-1a (R1!).
Diameter: 25 mm
Weight: 5.13 gm

In 1863, Lindenmueller had more than one million of his one-cent tokens struck and placed into circulation. One of the common uses for the token was for Taxi fare. The Third Avenue Railroad company of New York, which had willingly accepted a large quantity of the Lindenmueller tokens in lieu of actual currency, asked Lindenmueller to redeem them. He refused, and the railroad had no legal recoursee. Incidents such as these eventually forced the government to intervene.