(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-700C-5a, RH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from the Fuld 700C-5a series, attributed to the unidentified issuer "RH." Assigned to the Fuld 700 "RH" series, a large group of Civil War store cards whose issuer remains unidentified. The scope of the series — spanning many die pairings and metal variants — points to a professional token manufacturer rather than an individual retail merchant. Copper was preferred for token production because its properties matched the federal cent specification closely enough that these pieces passed freely in commerce during 1862-1864. This undated piece was produced circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Civil War tokens circulated freely throughout the Northern states from mid-1862 through 1864. Merchants accepted them alongside genuine federal cents, and many show heavy wear from commerce.

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 19 cataloged varieties, RH was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 700C-5a