(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-920H-3a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Chas. Goeldner, based in Watertown, Wisconsin, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. 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. Chas. Goeldner issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 920H-3a) is common among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

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 7 cataloged varieties, Chas. Goeldner was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 920H-3a