(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-480G-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Tubbs & Spear of Hudson, Michigan. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 3 known varieties, Tubbs & Spear produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 480G-1A) is common. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 3 cataloged varieties, Tubbs & Spear was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 480G-1A