(1863) Civil War Store Card F-120-C-1a, Columbus; Newcomb/1194 WI

Coin Details

Description

Columbus; Newcomb/1194 of Wisconsin produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. 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. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, the U.S. Mint dramatically increased production of small-denomination coins, and the new bronze two-cent piece helped alleviate the shortage. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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, Columbus; Huggins/1194 was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 120-C