(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-5C-2a, J.A. Castle MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by J.A. Castle of Adrian, 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, J.A. Castle produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 5C-2a) 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. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, J.A. Castle was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 5C-2a