(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-5B-2a, Buck & Farrar MI

Coin Details

Description

Buck & Farrar, an Adrian merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 4 known varieties, Buck & Farrar produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 5B-2a) is common. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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, Buck & Farrar was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 5B-2a