(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-220I-2a, A.T. Perkins WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

Fuld 220I-2a — store card of A.T. Perkins, Fonddulac, 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 2 known varieties, A.T. Perkins produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 220I-2a) 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 hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Merchants in border states faced particular challenges during the coin shortage, as economic uncertainty and military activity disrupted normal commercial patterns more severely than in the interior. 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, A.T. Perkins was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 220I-2a