(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765H-1a, PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of J.W. Hannah, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 2 known varieties, J.W. Hannah produced a modest number of token types. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 765H-1a) is common. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. Token production peaked in 1863 when the coin shortage was most acute, with die sinkers working around the clock to fill merchant orders.

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 2 cataloged varieties, J.W. Hannah was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 765H-1a