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

Coin Details

Description

R & J.T. Peter, 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. R & J.T. Peter issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 180B-3D) is somewhat scarce. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 5 cataloged varieties, R & J.T. Peter was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 180B-3D