(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225BJ-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from J.A. Rodier, a Detroit, Michigan business. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. J.A. Rodier issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225BJ-1A) is common. 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. 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 7 cataloged varieties, J.A. Rodier was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225BJ-1A