(1863) Civil War Store Card F-370E-1a, Kruger & Booth MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Kruger & Booth, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids was a growing commercial center in western Michigan, famous for its furniture manufacturing and lumber industry. With 2 known varieties, Kruger & Booth produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 370E-1a) is common. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Kruger & Booth was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 370E-1a