(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-525D-2a, W. Jaxon MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$56 XF45BN 08-20-2023 eBay

Description

W. Jaxon of Michigan issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. 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. W. Jaxon issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 525D-2a) is common for this merchant. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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 8 cataloged varieties, W. Jaxon was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 525D-2a