(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-225D-1a, Antisdel & Hills MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$192 MS65BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War-era store card from Antisdel & Hills, a Detroit, Michigan business. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. Antisdel & Hills issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225D-1a) is common. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 7 cataloged varieties, Antisdel & Hills was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225D-1a