(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-5A-1a, Blackman & Dibble MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Blackman & Dibble, located in Adrian, Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 5A-1a) is common. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Die sinkers in major cities competed fiercely for merchant orders, offering stock reverses that could be paired with custom obverse dies featuring the merchant's name and business information. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 1 cataloged varieties, Blackman & Dibble was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 5A-1a