(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-880A-1b, John Kenmuir MO

Coin Details

Description

Store card of John Kenmuir in Missouri, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Missouri was a contested border state with St. Louis as a Union stronghold where most Missouri Civil War store cards originated. With 2 known varieties, John Kenmuir produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 880A-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, John Kenmuir was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 880A-1b