(1864) Copper Civil War Store Card F-510R-2a, Ch. Hermann & Co. WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Ch. Hermann & Co., located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee was Wisconsin's largest city and a major brewing and manufacturing center, with its large German immigrant population strongly supporting the Union cause. The 15 cataloged varieties for Ch. Hermann & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 510R-2a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 15 cataloged varieties, Ch. Hermann & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510R-2a