(1861) Copper Civil War Store Card F-450L-1a, Mott & Bro. MI

Coin Details

Description

Mott & Bro. of Hillsdale issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. 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, Mott & Bro. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 450L-1a) is common among the known varieties. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. 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, Mott & Bro. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 450L-1a