(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-225CJa-2a, Wards MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$528 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

Fuld 225CJa-2a — store card of Wards, 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. With 3 known varieties, Wards produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225CJa-2a) is common. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The federal government's response to the coin shortage included issuing fractional currency in denominations as small as three cents, but these paper notes wore out quickly and were unpopular with merchants. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 3 cataloged varieties, Wards was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 225CJa-2a