(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-370H-5A, MI

Coin Details

Description

J.W. Peirce, a Grand Rapids merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. Grand Rapids was a growing commercial center in western Michigan, famous for its furniture manufacturing and lumber industry. The 12 cataloged varieties for J.W. Peirce indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 370H-5A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 12 cataloged varieties, J.W. Peirce was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 370H-5A