(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-260A-1a, E.P. Francis MA

Coin Details

Description

Billiard Room & Restaurant, based in Fall River, 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for Billiard Room & Restaurant indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 260A-1a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. 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 10 cataloged varieties, Billiard Room & Restaurant was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 260A-1a