(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-40D-3a, Stebbins & Wilson MI

Coin Details

Description

Stebbins & Wilson of Michigan issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War. Michigan's merchants across numerous cities actively produced tokens to combat the small change shortage affecting Northern commerce. With 3 known varieties, Stebbins & Wilson produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 40D-3a) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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, Stebbins & Wilson was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 40D-3a