(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-530H-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Roberts & Hillhouse in Kalamazoo, 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, Roberts & Hillhouse produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 530H-1A) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 2 cataloged varieties, Roberts & Hillhouse was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 530H-1A