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

Coin Details

Description

C.T. Mitchell & Co., a Hillsdale merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 coin shortage. 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 4 known varieties, C.T. Mitchell & Co. produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 450J-1B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 4 cataloged varieties, C.T. Mitchell & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 450J-1B