(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765P-11a, PA

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 765P-11a — store card of Pittock's, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Pittock's produced 27 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. This copper striking (Fuld 765P-11a) is common among the known varieties. The absence of a date on this token is standard for the 1862-1864 era, when speed of production mattered more than formality. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 27 cataloged varieties, Pittock's was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765P-11a