(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-250F-5a, WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$55 AU Details 05-29-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of F.R. Schettler, located in Green Bay, 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. F.R. Schettler issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 250F-5a) is common among the known varieties. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The hoarding of federal coinage created an acute shortage of small change, prompting thousands of merchants to issue tokens as practical substitutes. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 6 cataloged varieties, F.R. Schettler was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 250F-5a