(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765S-5a, 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. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 765S-5a) is common. This undated piece entered commerce during the 1862-1864 period when millions of private tokens replaced vanished federal coinage. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. 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-5a