(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510R-3a, CH. Hermann & Co. WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS65BN 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Ch. Hermann & Co. of Milwaukee issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. The 15 cataloged varieties for Ch. Hermann & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510R-3a) is common for this merchant. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 15 cataloged varieties, Ch. Hermann & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510R-3a