(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-5F-2a, Wm. S. Wicox MI

Coin Details

Description

Wm. S. Wicox, an Adrian merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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, Wm. S. Wicox produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 5F-2a) is common. 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. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, Wm. S. Wicox was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 5F-2a