(1863) Civil War Store Card F-250B-1a, Hoffman & Lewis WI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Hoffman & Lewis in Green Bay, Wisconsin, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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. With 2 known varieties, Hoffman & Lewis produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 250B-1a) is common for this merchant. 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. 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, Hoffman & Lewis was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 250B-1a