(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765T-2a, PA

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Reymer & Bros. of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was the Union's industrial heartland, with Philadelphia as a manufacturing center and Pittsburgh as an iron and steel producer. With 4 known varieties, Reymer & Bros. produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 765T-2a) is common among the known varieties. This undated token was struck circa 1862-1864 during the wartime coin shortage. Die sinkers offered merchants a choice of metals, with copper being cheapest and most common, while silver and gold were struck for collectors. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

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 4 cataloged varieties, Reymer & Bros. was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 765T-2a