(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-745B-2B, MI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from G.W. Longwell of Paw Paw, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 745B-2B. 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 2 known varieties, G.W. Longwell produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 745B-2B) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, G.W. Longwell was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 745B-2B