(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-220K-1a, C.J. Pettibone & Co. WI

Coin Details

Auction Record

$360 MS65BN 10-14-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

C.J. Pettibone & Co. of Fonddulac issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War 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. With 2 known varieties, C.J. Pettibone & Co. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 220K-1a) is common among the known varieties. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation.

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, C.J. Pettibone & Co. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 220K-1a