(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-580B-2a, Hatch & Craw MI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 580B-2a — store card of Hatch & Craw, Lowell, 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 4 known varieties, Hatch & Craw produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 580B-2a) is common for this merchant. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The transition from large copper cents to small-diameter bronze cents in 1857 had already created a shortage mindset, making the public particularly anxious about coin supplies when war began. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 4 cataloged varieties, Hatch & Craw was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 580B-2a