(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225R-4A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from A.W. Copeland's of Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225R-4A. As Michigan's commercial hub, Detroit generated more Civil War token varieties than any other city in the state, reflecting its diverse merchant community. A.W. Copeland's issued 8 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 225R-4A) is common. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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, A.W. Copeland's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225R-4A