(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-40C-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Ann Arbor, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 40C-1A. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 40C-1A) is common. 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. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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, this merchant was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 40C-1A