(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225W-3A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225W-3A. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. This copper striking (Fuld 225W-3A) is common among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225W-3A