(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-890B-9bo, Oliver Boutwell NY

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Oliver Boutwell in New York, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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." This piece is an overstrike struck over a host coin, an 1863 Indian Head cent. Traces of the original design may be visible beneath the new impressions. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. Overstrike varieties are generally scarcer than tokens struck on blank planchets, as they required sourcing and re-striking existing coins. With 42 cataloged varieties, Oliver Boutwell was a substantial producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 890B-9bo