(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-495A-1a, James Kennedy MI

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by James Kennedy, operating in Ionia, Michigan. 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. With 3 known varieties, James Kennedy produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 495A-1a) is common among the known varieties. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. 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 3 cataloged varieties, James Kennedy was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 495A-1a