(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-250B-4A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Andrews & Cooper in Dowagiac, Michigan, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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 copper striking (Fuld 250B-4A) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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-4A