(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-13E-4e, PA

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from R. & W. Jenkinson of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 13E-4e. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. The 16 cataloged varieties for R. & W. Jenkinson indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in white metal, this die combination (Fuld 13E-4e) is somewhat scarce. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. White metal strikings are less common than copper or brass and show more wear due to the soft alloy.

Rarity Notes

White metal (tin alloy) strikings are less common than copper or brass versions and tend to show more wear due to the softness of the alloy. With 16 cataloged varieties, R. & W. Jenkinson was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 13E-4e