(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-450J-2a, C.T. Mitchell & Co. MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$499 AU55BN 11-23-2022 eBay

Description

Fuld 450J-2a — store card of C.T. Mitchell & Co., Hillsdale, Michigan. Michigan was a significant industrial state during the Civil War, with Detroit emerging as a major manufacturing center and merchants across the state producing tokens. With 4 known varieties, C.T. Mitchell & Co. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 450J-2a) 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. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. 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

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.T. Mitchell & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 450J-2a