(1863) Civil War Store Card F-360A-1a, Mons. Anderson WI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 360A-1a — store card of Mons. Anderson, LA Crosse, Wisconsin. 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 4 known varieties, Mons. Anderson produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 360A-1a) is common. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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 4 cataloged varieties, Mons. Anderson was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 360A-1a