(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-300A-1B, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 300A-1B. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. This brass striking (Fuld 300A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 1 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 300A-1B