(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-890B-13b, Oliver Boutwell NY

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Oliver Boutwell of New York, cataloged as Fuld 890B-13b. Oliver Boutwell (1807-1888) began as a baker then established himself as a miller near Sloop Lock in Troy, NY. The firm O. Boutwell & Son dealt in flour, wheat, rye, oats, and corn. An estimated 100,000-200,000 of his tokens were issued and circulated extensively throughout the Eastern United States, making them among the most widely distributed Civil War store cards. His tokens promised paper redemption with the inscription "REDEEMED IN BILLS AT MY OFFICE." The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 890B-13b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 42 cataloged varieties, Oliver Boutwell was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 890B-13b