(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-100A-2a, R.S. Torrey ME

Coin Details

Auction Record

$123 AU55 01-20-2014 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of R.S. Torrey, located in Bangor, Maine. Maine was a solidly Unionist state, but its relatively isolated location resulted in very few Civil War store card issues. With 3 known varieties, R.S. Torrey produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 100A-2a) is common. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Merchants in border states faced particular challenges during the coin shortage, as economic uncertainty and military activity disrupted normal commercial patterns more severely than in the interior. 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

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, R.S. Torrey was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 100A-2a