(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-55A-2a, WI

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by F. Krueger, operating in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Wisconsin was a growing frontier state with Milwaukee as its largest commercial center, and its merchants issued tokens as practical solutions to the coin shortage. With 2 known varieties, F. Krueger produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 55A-2a) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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, F. Krueger was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 55A-2a