(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-120B-1a, Frank Huggins WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Frank Huggins of Columbus, Wisconsin. As Ohio's capital, Columbus saw enormous wartime military activity, and its merchants issued tokens to facilitate commerce amid the acute coin shortage. This copper striking (Fuld 120B-1a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The coin shortage was exacerbated by the simultaneous withdrawal of gold and silver from circulation following the suspension of specie payments in December 1861. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 1 cataloged varieties, Frank Huggins was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 120B-1a