(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510AG-1a, J. Pritzlaff & Co. WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$360 MS66BN 12-16-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

J. Pritzlaff & Co., based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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 3 known varieties, J. Pritzlaff & Co. produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510AG-1a) is common for this merchant. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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 3 cataloged varieties, J. Pritzlaff & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510AG-1a