(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-510AE-3a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Carl Paeschke of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, cataloged as Fuld 510AE-3a. Milwaukee was Wisconsin's largest city and a major brewing and manufacturing center, with its large German immigrant population strongly supporting the Union cause. Carl Paeschke issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 510AE-3a) 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 6 cataloged varieties, Carl Paeschke was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510AE-3a