(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-700I-1e, RH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from the Fuld 700I-1e 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. White metal strikings are scarcer than base metal versions. The soft tin alloy means these tokens were more susceptible to damage in circulation. Although undated, this token was manufactured during the 1862-1864 period when private tokens circulated as emergency currency. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute. Americans had hoarded federal coins since the suspension of specie payments in December 1861.

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 6 cataloged varieties, RH was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 700I-1e