(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225CP-3B, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225CP-3B. As Michigan's commercial hub, Detroit generated more Civil War token varieties than any other city in the state, reflecting its diverse merchant community. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 225CP-3B) is common to somewhat 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. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 225CP-3B