(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-250I-6b, WI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 250I-6b — store card of J.J. St. Louis, 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. J.J. St. Louis issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 250I-6b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. 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. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 9 cataloged varieties, J.J. St. Louis was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 250I-6b