(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225AC-3A, MI

Coin Details

Description

L.S. Freeman, based in Detroit, Michigan, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. L.S. Freeman issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225AC-3A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 9 cataloged varieties, L.S. Freeman was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AC-3A