(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-450F-2a, J. Gottlieb MI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from J. Gottlieb of Hillsdale, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 450F-2a. Michigan was a significant industrial state during the Civil War, with Detroit emerging as a major manufacturing center and merchants across the state producing tokens. J. Gottlieb issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 450F-2a) is common. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Token issuers ranged from sole proprietors to large retail establishments, with some merchants ordering thousands of pieces while others had only a few hundred struck for local distribution. 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 5 cataloged varieties, J. Gottlieb was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 450F-2a