(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-3A-1B, MI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 MS62 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Fuld 3A-1B — store card of Smith Brothers, Addison, 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. With 2 known varieties, Smith Brothers produced a modest number of token types. This brass striking (Fuld 3A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. 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. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Smith Brothers was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 3A-1B