(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-464A-3b, PA

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Petersen's of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 464A-3b. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Petersen's produced 30 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. Struck in brass, this die combination (Fuld 464A-3b) is common to somewhat scarce. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 30 cataloged varieties, Petersen's was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 464A-3b