(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225Q-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from S. Cohen of Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225Q-1A. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. S. Cohen issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 225Q-1A) is common for this merchant. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 8 cataloged varieties, S. Cohen was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225Q-1A