(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-370E-2A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Kruger & Booth, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Grand Rapids was a growing commercial center in western Michigan, famous for its furniture manufacturing and lumber industry. With 2 known varieties, Kruger & Booth produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 370E-2A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Kruger & Booth was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 370E-2A