(1864) Brass Civil War Store Card F-530A-1b, Great Fair MA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Great Fair, a Nantucket, Massachusetts business. Massachusetts was a center of manufacturing and abolitionist sentiment, with Boston and surrounding cities contributing Civil War tokens as emergency currency. Great Fair issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 530A-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Fuld 530A-1b