(1861-65) Civil War Store Card F-185-A-1d, East Troy; Smith/1174 WI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from East Troy; Smith/1174 of Wisconsin, cataloged as Fuld 185-A. Wisconsin was a growing frontier state with Milwaukee as its largest commercial center, and its merchants issued tokens as practical solutions to the coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. After Congress banned private tokens in 1864, the Mint began striking bronze cents and a new two-cent piece, which ended the shortage. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Cross References

Fuld 185-A