(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-220A-1a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear, a Fonddulac, Wisconsin business. 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 3 known varieties, C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 220A-1a) is common. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. 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 3 cataloged varieties, C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 220A-1a