(1861-65) White Metal Civil War Store Card F-115A-1e, Comer's MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 AU50 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Comer's of Massachusetts produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Massachusetts was a center of manufacturing and abolitionist sentiment, with Boston and surrounding cities contributing Civil War tokens as emergency currency. Struck in white metal, this die combination (Fuld 115A-1e) is somewhat scarce. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. White metal (a tin-based alloy) pieces are scarcer than copper and often show significant wear from their soft composition. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 1 cataloged varieties, Comer's was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 115A-1e