(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-370K-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from A. Roberts & Son of Michigan. Michigan was a significant industrial state during the Civil War, with Detroit emerging as a major manufacturing center and merchants across the state producing tokens. A. Roberts & Son issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 370K-1A) is common among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 6 cataloged varieties, A. Roberts & Son was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 370K-1A