(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510AE-2a, Carl Paeschke WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$162 MS66BN 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

Civil War-era store card from Carl Paeschke, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin business. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. Carl Paeschke issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510AE-2a) is common for this merchant. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Die sinkers in major cities competed fiercely for merchant orders, offering stock reverses that could be paired with custom obverse dies featuring the merchant's name and business information. 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 6 cataloged varieties, Carl Paeschke was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510AE-2a