1862 Concord NH H. B. Foster 3 Cents Scrip - Druggist and Apothecary Scrip - Rare Civil War Era New Hampshire Obsolete Three Cent Store Note

This listing is for the photographed 1862 Concord NH H. B. Foster Apothecary 3 Cents Obsolete Merchant Scrip Note. This note was issued on December 4th, 1862, for the Druggist and Apothecary Store of H. B. Foster in Concord, New Hampshire. Issued and signed, adding to the notes value. Choice Fine (F+) grade/condition, some visible folds and other signs of circulation. Rarity level 5 (R5) according to LaFond's catalogue on New Hampshire Merchant Scrip. Great rarer find with an incredibly interesting history!

In the United States during the 1860s, the issuance of merchant scrip became widespread as a practical response to severe coin shortages caused by the Civil War. As gold and silver coins disappeared from circulation local merchants and businesses began printing their own small denomination notes to facilitate everyday transactions. This “scrip” functioned as a substitute for official currency, acting much like modern-day store credit, allowing customers to buy goods or make change when federal money was scarce. Though unofficial and often limited in where it could be spent, merchant scrip helped keep local economies functioning until a stable supply of national currency returned later in the decade.

In 1848 Henry Bradley Foster purchased the business of John McDaniel, local druggist and apothecary in Concord, NH. By 1851 Foster created a booming business selling drugs, medicine, goods from the West Indies, and hardware. The business was sold to John C. Pillsbury in 1856, but only two years later Foster had purchased another store, reentering the druggist and apothecary business in Concord. In 1864 he was selling drugs, patent medicine, hardware, burning fluid, nails, glass, dye stuffs, perfumery, hair dyes, and other "fancy goods". The business continued successfully through 1890 before closing by the turn of the century. 

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1862 Concord NH H. B. Foster 3 Cents Scrip - Druggist and Apothecary Scrip - Rare Civil War Era New Hampshire Obsolete Three Cent Store Note