(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-530G-1a, L.W. Perrin MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by L.W. Perrin of Kalamazoo, 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, L.W. Perrin produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 530G-1a) 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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, L.W. Perrin was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 530G-1a