(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-920E-1a, Patrick Duffy WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$109 PR55CAM 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

Patrick Duffy of Watertown issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. 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. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 920E-1a) is common. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Token production during the Civil War represented the largest private coinage movement in American history, with an estimated 25 million pieces struck between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 1 cataloged varieties, Patrick Duffy was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 920E-1a