(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-510B-2a, WI

Coin Details

Description

CH Bast, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. With 2 known varieties, CH Bast produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 510B-2a) is common. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from 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 2 cataloged varieties, CH Bast was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510B-2a