(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-225AK-1a, Herintons MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$90 MS61BN 12-16-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Herintons, located in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. This copper striking (Fuld 225AK-1a) is common among the known varieties. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. 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. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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, Herintons was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 225AK-1a