(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-115B-4B, MA

Coin Details

Description

Dunn & Co's of Massachusetts issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. 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-4B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

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-4B