(No Date) Copper Civil War Store Card F-920L-1a, Theodore Racek WI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Theodore Racek, a Watertown, Wisconsin business. 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, Theodore Racek produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 920L-1a) is common. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.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, Theodore Racek was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 920L-1a