(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-250B-3A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Andrews & Cooper, located in Dowagiac, Michigan. Michigan was a significant industrial state during the Civil War, with Detroit emerging as a major manufacturing center and merchants across the state producing tokens. Andrews & Cooper issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 250B-3A) is common among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. 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. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 5 cataloged varieties, Andrews & Cooper was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 250B-3A