(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-527A-1B, MI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of C.C. Blakeslee in Jonesville, Michigan, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 2 known varieties, C.C. Blakeslee produced a modest number of token types. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 527A-1B) is common to somewhat scarce. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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 2 cataloged varieties, C.C. Blakeslee was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 527A-1B