(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510X-2a, Louis Kurz WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Louis Kurz, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. With 2 known varieties, Louis Kurz produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 510X-2a) is common. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The coin shortage was exacerbated by the simultaneous withdrawal of gold and silver from circulation following the suspension of specie payments in December 1861. 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 2 cataloged varieties, Louis Kurz was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510X-2a