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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,320 MS66RB 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Jos. H. Merriam, based in Boston, 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. Jos. H. Merriam issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 115E-2a) is common. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 6 cataloged varieties, Jos. H. Merriam was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 115E-2a