(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-220A-3a, C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear, located in Fonddulac, 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 3 known varieties, C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear produced a modest number of token types. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 220A-3a) is common for this merchant. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 3 cataloged varieties, C.L. Alling-W.K. Lanphear was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 220A-3a