(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-410G-6a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by Madison Brewery of Madison, 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. Madison Brewery issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 410G-6a) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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-6a