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

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by Pittsburgh Gazette, operating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. Pittsburgh Gazette issued 6 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 765S-1a) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 6 cataloged varieties, Pittsburgh Gazette was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 765S-1a