(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510P-2a, C. Hambach. WI

Coin Details

Description

C. Hambach. of Milwaukee issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War 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 2 known varieties, C. Hambach. produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510P-2a) is common for this merchant. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 2 cataloged varieties, C. Hambach. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510P-2a