(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-180B-3A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of R & J.T. Peter, located in Clarkston, 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. R & J.T. Peter issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 180B-3A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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 5 cataloged varieties, R & J.T. Peter was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 180B-3A