(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765P-2i, PA

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 765P-2i — 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 zinc striking (Fuld 765P-2i) is scarce among the known varieties. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Store cards circulated as emergency currency after wartime hoarding removed federal coins from commercial channels. Zinc tokens corrode easily, and surviving examples in good condition are scarce. Civil War store cards are collected both as numismatic items and as historical documents of wartime American commerce.

Rarity Notes

Zinc strikings are relatively uncommon and prone to corrosion, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. With 27 cataloged varieties, Pittock's was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765P-2i