(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-160A-1a, C. Cummings MI

Coin Details

Description

C. Cummings of Charlotte issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 3 known varieties, C. Cummings produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 160A-1a) is common. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. 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 3 cataloged varieties, C. Cummings was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 160A-1a