(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-115E-2b, Jos. H. Merriam MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$552 MS65 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Jos. H. Merriam, a Boston merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Massachusetts was a center of manufacturing and abolitionist sentiment, with Boston and surrounding cities contributing Civil War tokens as emergency currency. Jos. H. Merriam issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 115E-2b) is common to somewhat scarce. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, Jos. H. Merriam was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 115E-2b