(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-370F-4a, City Brewery MI

Coin Details

Description

C. Kusterer, a Grand Rapids merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Grand Rapids was a growing commercial center in western Michigan, famous for its furniture manufacturing and lumber industry. With 4 known varieties, C. Kusterer produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 370F-4a) is common for this merchant. 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. The transition from large copper cents to small-diameter bronze cents in 1857 had already created a shortage mindset, making the public particularly anxious about coin supplies when war began. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 4 cataloged varieties, C. Kusterer was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 370F-4a