(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-410G-3a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Madison Brewery, a Madison, 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. Madison Brewery issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 410G-3a) is common among the known varieties. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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, Madison Brewery was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 410G-3a