(1861) Copper Civil War Store Card F-525A-1a, S.H. Zahm PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 MS65BN 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by S.H. Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 4 known varieties, S.H. Zahm produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 525A-1a) is common. The dies for merchant tokens were usually cut by professional engravers who could produce a complete set in a matter of days. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Civil War tokens circulated alongside postage currency, fractional currency notes, and encased postage stamps as substitutes for the federal coins that had disappeared from commercial channels. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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 4 cataloged varieties, S.H. Zahm was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 525A-1a