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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$192 MS66BN 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

F. Geiss & Bro's of Michigan issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. The 11 cataloged varieties for F. Geiss & Bro's indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225AF-5A) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. 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 11 cataloged varieties, F. Geiss & Bro's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AF-5A