(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-225Z-3b, Wm. Eisenlord MI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 225Z-3b — store card of Wm. Eisenlord, Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. Wm. Eisenlord issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 225Z-3b) 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. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Fuld 225Z-3b