(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-745B-1a, G.W. Longwell MI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from G.W. Longwell of Paw Paw, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 745B-1a. 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 2 known varieties, G.W. Longwell produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 745B-1a) is common for this merchant. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 2 cataloged varieties, G.W. Longwell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 745B-1a