(1863) Copper Civil War Store Card F-765F-1a, W.A. Gildenfenney PA

Coin Details

Description

Store card of W.A. Gildenfenney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, struck during the 1862-1864 token era. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. W.A. Gildenfenney issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This copper striking (Fuld 765F-1a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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 7 cataloged varieties, W.A. Gildenfenney was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765F-1a