(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225BF-2B, MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$156 MS63 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225BF-2B. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 225BF-2B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 6 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225BF-2B