(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-220L-2a, A. Raymond WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 MS64BN 10-14-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

A. Raymond of Fonddulac issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. 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. Raymond produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 220L-2a) is common among the known varieties. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 2 cataloged varieties, A. Raymond was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 220L-2a