(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510W-1a, H. Kurt WI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 510W-1a — store card of H. Kurt, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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, H. Kurt produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 510W-1a) is common among the known varieties. 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. 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, H. Kurt was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510W-1a