(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-920J-1b, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Daniel Kusel, located in Watertown, 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, Daniel Kusel produced a modest number of token types. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 920J-1b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 2 cataloged varieties, Daniel Kusel was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 920J-1b