(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-510AB-1b, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Friedrich Miller, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin business. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. Friedrich Miller issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 510AB-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. 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. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 7 cataloged varieties, Friedrich Miller was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510AB-1b