(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-200A-2a, Dunn & Co's MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 MS65BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Dunn & COs of Charlestwn, Massachusetts, cataloged as Fuld 200A-2a. Massachusetts was a center of manufacturing and abolitionist sentiment, with Boston and surrounding cities contributing Civil War tokens as emergency currency. Dunn & COs issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 200A-2a) is common among the known varieties. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 5 cataloged varieties, Dunn & COs was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 200A-2a