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

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from C.E. Graff of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, cataloged as Fuld 510O-1b. Milwaukee's thriving German-American merchant community made it the center of Wisconsin's Civil War token production. The 15 cataloged varieties for C.E. Graff indicate a notable level of token production. This brass striking (Fuld 510O-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 15 cataloged varieties, C.E. Graff was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 510O-1b