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

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by V. Blatz Lagerbeer of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee was Wisconsin's largest city and a major brewing and manufacturing center, with its large German immigrant population strongly supporting the Union cause. With 4 known varieties, V. Blatz Lagerbeer produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 510E-2a) is common. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 4 cataloged varieties, V. Blatz Lagerbeer was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 510E-2a