(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-13F-1b, PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from John Sherer, an Allegheny, Pennsylvania business. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. The 12 cataloged varieties for John Sherer indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 13F-1b) is common to somewhat scarce. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass tokens are moderately available, with their yellowish color distinguishing them from the standard copper issues.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 12 cataloged varieties, John Sherer was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 13F-1b