(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-420A-1a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of W.H. Horn, located in Manitowoc, 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. The 10 cataloged varieties for W.H. Horn indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 420A-1a) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 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 10 cataloged varieties, W.H. Horn was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 420A-1a