(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-960B-1a, WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card issued by J.S. Lathrop of Whitewater, 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, J.S. Lathrop produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 960B-1a) is common among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. 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 Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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 2 cataloged varieties, J.S. Lathrop was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 960B-1a