1866 Token - Token E.H. Durfee Brass Trade

Coin Details

Auction Record

$260 AU55 10-09-2023 eBay

Description

This 1866 brass trade token was issued by E.H. Durfee, a merchant operating in the post-Civil War period. The "Trade" inscription indicates this token was redeemable for merchandise at Durfee's establishment, functioning as a form of store credit or customer loyalty device. The 1866 date places this token in the immediate post-war period when the American economy was transitioning from wartime production to peacetime commerce. While the federal government had enacted legislation in 1864 banning private tokens from circulation as money substitutes, trade tokens redeemable only at the issuing merchant's store continued to be produced legally. The brass composition provided durability for repeated commercial use. E.H. Durfee's tokens document the continuation of the American merchant token tradition beyond the Civil War emergency that had spawned millions of privately issued cents.

Rarity Notes

Brass trade token. Post-Civil War merchant piece. E.H. Durfee brass variety.

Cross References

PCGS #928785; E.H. Durfee, Brass Trade Token, 1866