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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$528 MS65BN 10-14-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225CF-2A. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 225CF-2A) is common 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 hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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 5 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225CF-2A