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

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 MS64BN 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225Y-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. This copper striking (Fuld 225Y-1A) 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. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 10 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225Y-1A