(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-700J-1a, Thelen & Dieterich WI

Coin Details

Description

Store card of Thelen & Dieterich in Racine, Wisconsin, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. 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, Thelen & Dieterich produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 700J-1a) is common. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Some token dies were used so extensively that late strikes show significant die wear, providing collectors with a chronological sequence of the production run from fresh to deteriorated states. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 2 cataloged varieties, Thelen & Dieterich was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 700J-1a