(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510Y-4a, A. Lederer & Co. WI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of A. Lederer & Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. With 4 known varieties, A. Lederer & Co. produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 510Y-4a) is common for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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-4a