(1862) Brass Civil War Store Card F-750T-1b, Granville Stokes OH

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS65 04-26-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Granville Stokes of Ohio, cataloged as Fuld 750T-1b. Ohio's extensive commercial networks across dozens of cities generated an unparalleled body of merchant token issues during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. With 2 known varieties, Granville Stokes produced a modest number of token types. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 750T-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Fuld 750T-1b