(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225A-5A, MI

Coin Details

Description

W.J. Adderly of Detroit issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. The 12 cataloged varieties for W.J. Adderly indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225A-5A) is common. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 12 cataloged varieties, W.J. Adderly was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225A-5A