(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-960A-2a, E. Hewitt & Bro. MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by E. Hewitt & Bro. of Ypsilanti, 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. E. Hewitt & Bro. issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 960A-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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 8 cataloged varieties, E. Hewitt & Bro. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 960A-2a