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

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from Frank Snyder of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cataloged as Fuld 765V-2a. 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, Frank Snyder produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 765V-2a) is common among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. Collectors classify Civil War tokens by the Fuld numbering system, which catalogs each unique die combination with rarity ratings from R-1 (over 5,000 known) to R-10 (unique).

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, Frank Snyder was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 765V-2a