(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225AR-2A, MI

Coin Details

Description

P.N. Kneeland, a Detroit merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 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. P.N. Kneeland issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 225AR-2A) is common among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 8 cataloged varieties, P.N. Kneeland was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225AR-2A