(1864) Brass Civil War Store Card F-525D-4b, W. Jaxon MI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 525D-4b — store card of W. Jaxon, Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. W. Jaxon issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 525D-4b) is common to somewhat scarce. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 8 cataloged varieties, W. Jaxon was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 525D-4b