(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-765R-1a, PA

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Pittsburgh of Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 765R-1a. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Pittsburgh issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 765R-1a) is common for this merchant. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 6 cataloged varieties, Pittsburgh was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765R-1a