(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510Y-3a, A. Lederer & Co. WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of A. Lederer & Co., located in 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 4 known varieties, A. Lederer & Co. produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 510Y-3a) is common. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. 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 4 cataloged varieties, A. Lederer & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510Y-3a