(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-360C-1F, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Grand Haven, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 360C-1F. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. This silver striking (Fuld 360C-1F) is rare among the known varieties. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Silver examples were struck in small quantities, often for collectors or as special orders. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Silver strikings are considerably scarcer than base metal versions, typically produced in small quantities for collectors or as special presentation pieces. With 1 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 360C-1F