(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-225BO-6b, Farmers Clothing Store MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from John Schroder & Co., a Detroit, Michigan business. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. John Schroder & Co. issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 225BO-6b) is common to somewhat scarce 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. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. 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

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 7 cataloged varieties, John Schroder & Co. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225BO-6b