(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-45A-6a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 45A-6a — store card of Peck & Orvis, Baraboo, 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 13 cataloged varieties for Peck & Orvis indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 45A-6a) is common among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 13 cataloged varieties, Peck & Orvis was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 45A-6a