(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225CC-3I, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225CC-3I. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. The zinc composition of this variety (Fuld 225CC-3I) is scarce for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Zinc strikings are uncommon and prone to corrosion, making preserved examples desirable. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 5 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225CC-3I