(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-200B-1a, G.W. Goodell MI

Coin Details

Description

G.W. Goodell of Corunna 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 2 known varieties, G.W. Goodell produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 200B-1a) is common. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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, G.W. Goodell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 200B-1a