(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765P-13b, PA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$105 MS63 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

Merchant token from Pittock's of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 765P-13b. 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 brass striking (Fuld 765P-13b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Die sinkers produced these tokens on hand-operated screw presses, often filling orders for multiple merchants simultaneously. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 27 cataloged varieties, Pittock's was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765P-13b