(1863) Civil War Store Card F-510B-1a, CH Bast WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from CH Bast, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin business. Milwaukee was Wisconsin's largest city and a major brewing and manufacturing center, with its large German immigrant population strongly supporting the Union cause. With 2 known varieties, CH Bast produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 510B-1a) is common among the known varieties. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, CH Bast was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510B-1a