(1863) Zinc Civil War Store Card F-180A-1i, M.H. Clark MI

Coin Details

Description

M.H. Clark, based in Clarkston, Michigan, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. M.H. Clark issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in zinc, this die combination (Fuld 180A-1i) is scarce. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Zinc tokens corrode easily, and surviving examples in good condition are scarce. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 8 cataloged varieties, M.H. Clark was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 180A-1i