(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-450F-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J. Gottlieb, located in Hillsdale, Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. J. Gottlieb issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 450F-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. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

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 5 cataloged varieties, J. Gottlieb was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 450F-1A