(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-300B-1b, H.M. Frost MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$156 MS63 05-27-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

This Civil War token was issued by H.M. Frost in 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. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 300B-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 1 cataloged varieties, H.M. Frost was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 300B-1b