(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-85A-1A, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Roswell Barnes, a Brighton, Michigan business. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. Roswell Barnes issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 85A-1A) is common for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. 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 6 cataloged varieties, Roswell Barnes was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 85A-1A