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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225P-3I. Detroit was Michigan's largest city and a major manufacturing center, producing stoves, railroad equipment, and industrial goods for the Northern war effort. Struck in zinc, this die combination (Fuld 225P-3I) is scarce. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Zinc strikings are uncommon and prone to corrosion, making preserved examples desirable. 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

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 9 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225P-3I