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

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Campbell & Calnon, operating in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. Campbell & Calnon issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 225MA-2A) is common for this merchant. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. 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. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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, Campbell & Calnon was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225MA-2A