(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-620H-1a, Kellogg & Hughes WI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 620H-1a — store card of Kellogg & Hughes, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Wisconsin was a growing frontier state with Milwaukee as its largest commercial center, and its merchants issued tokens as practical solutions to the coin shortage. With 2 known varieties, Kellogg & Hughes produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 620H-1a) is common among the known varieties. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. 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, Kellogg & Hughes was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 620H-1a