(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-370F-1a, C. Kusterer MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$840 AU50BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by C. Kusterer of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids was a growing commercial center in western Michigan, famous for its furniture manufacturing and lumber industry. With 4 known varieties, C. Kusterer produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 370F-1a) is common for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Die sinkers in major cities competed fiercely for merchant orders, offering stock reverses that could be paired with custom obverse dies featuring the merchant's name and business information. 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 4 cataloged varieties, C. Kusterer was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 370F-1a