(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-765T-3a, PA

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Reymer & Bros. of Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 765T-3a. 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-3a) is common 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. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

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-3a