(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-115B-1B, MA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Dunn & Co's in Massachusetts. Massachusetts was a center of manufacturing and abolitionist sentiment, with Boston and surrounding cities contributing Civil War tokens as emergency currency. Dunn & Co's issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 115B-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 5 cataloged varieties, Dunn & Co's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 115B-1B