(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-480E-2A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of H. Howe & Co., located in Hudson, 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 3 known varieties, H. Howe & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 480E-2A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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 3 cataloged varieties, H. Howe & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 480E-2A