(1861-65) Civil War Store Card F-225AFa-5a, F. Geiss & Bro's MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS64BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

F. Geiss & Bro's, a Detroit merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. As Michigan's commercial hub, Detroit generated more Civil War token varieties than any other city in the state, reflecting its diverse merchant community. F. Geiss & Bro's issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 225AFa-5a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 6 cataloged varieties, F. Geiss & Bro's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AFa-5a