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

Coin Details

Description

C.B. Goodrich 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. C.B. Goodrich issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 225AH-5A) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, C.B. Goodrich was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AH-5A