(1863) Copper-Nickel Civil War Store Card F-LU-Sd, Town Branch Store MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$432 MS63 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Town Branch Store in Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. The coin shortage was exacerbated by the simultaneous withdrawal of gold and silver from circulation following the suspension of specie payments in December 1861. Third-party grading services have certified thousands of Civil War store cards, bringing standardized condition assessment to a field that previously relied on subjective individual evaluation. 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 1 cataloged varieties, Town Branch Store was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld LU-Sd