(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-250I-3a, J.J. St. Louis WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.J. St. Louis, located in Green Bay, 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. J.J. St. Louis issued 9 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 250I-3a) is common for this merchant. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. 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. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 9 cataloged varieties, J.J. St. Louis was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 250I-3a