(1863) Civil War Store Card F-745-C-1a, Paw Paw; Sherman/1003 MI

Coin Details

Description

Paw Paw; Sherman/1003 of Michigan issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 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. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 1 cataloged varieties, Paw Paw; Sherman/1003 was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 745-C