(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-580A-2a, W.R. Blaisdell MI

Coin Details

Description

W.R. Blaisdell, based in Lowell, Michigan, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 2 known varieties, W.R. Blaisdell produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 580A-2a) is common among the known varieties. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 2 cataloged varieties, W.R. Blaisdell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 580A-2a