(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-45A-4A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of F.J. & J. Palmer's in Atlas, Michigan, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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. F.J. & J. Palmer's issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 45A-4A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 7 cataloged varieties, F.J. & J. Palmer's was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 45A-4A