(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510Z-1a, M.C. Meyer WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,320 MS64BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

M.C. Meyer, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 510Z-1a) is common. 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. Die sinkers in major cities competed fiercely for merchant orders, offering stock reverses that could be paired with custom obverse dies featuring the merchant's name and business information. Over 25 million Civil War tokens were produced before Congress ended private coinage in April 1864, making them the largest private coinage movement in American history.

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 1 cataloged varieties, M.C. Meyer was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510Z-1a