(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-460A-3a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from E. Wirth of Mayfield, Wisconsin, cataloged as Fuld 460A-3a. 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 E. Wirth indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 460A-3a) is common. Civil War tokens rarely bear dates. This piece was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage, when merchants needed emergency small change. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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, E. Wirth was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 460A-3a