(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-765S-2a, Pittsburgh Gazette PA

Coin Details

Description

Pittsburgh Gazette, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Pittsburgh Gazette issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 765S-2a) is common. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily 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 6 cataloged varieties, Pittsburgh Gazette was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765S-2a