(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-300G-2a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from H.L. Smith of Janesville, Wisconsin, cataloged as Fuld 300G-2a. 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, H.L. Smith produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 300G-2a) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern 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, H.L. Smith was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 300G-2a