(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-13C-2d, PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Allegheny, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 13C-2d. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 13C-2d) is somewhat scarce. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce, resembling the federal Indian Head cent in both size and color. 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-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 5 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 13C-2d