(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-250B-2B, MI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 250B-2B — store card of Andrews & Cooper, Dowagiac, Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. Andrews & Cooper issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 250B-2B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. 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. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 5 cataloged varieties, Andrews & Cooper was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 250B-2B