(1864) Civil War Store Card F-030-A-1b, Appleton; Parsons&Barlow/1174 WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Appleton; Parsons&Barlow/1174 in Wisconsin. G. Parsons operated a fireworks business in New York City and issued tokens advertising "G. PARSONS FIREWORKS" in 1863. Some varieties are extremely rare (R-8), including a German Silver striking that is unique as the only certified example. The large number of die combinations indicates either a long production run or deliberate creation of varieties. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 3 cataloged varieties, Appleton; Parsons&Barlow/1220 was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 030-A