(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-225AD-1b, Woodward & Jefferson MI

Coin Details

Description

Woodward & Jefferson of Michigan issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 2 known varieties, Woodward & Jefferson produced a modest number of token types. This brass striking (Fuld 225AD-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. 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.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Woodward & Jefferson was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 225AD-1b