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

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 225AF-5D — store card of F. Geiss & Bro's, Michigan. 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. The copper-nickel composition of this variety (Fuld 225AF-5D) is somewhat scarce for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. 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 11 cataloged varieties, F. Geiss & Bro's was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AF-5D