(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-880F-4A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Pearson & Bro., based in Troy, Ohio, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Troy was a manufacturing center on the Hudson River known for its iron and steel production, including horseshoe and railroad spike industries. Pearson & Bro. issued 7 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 880F-4A) is common. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. George and Melvin Fuld's catalog remains the standard reference for Civil War tokens, with each variety assigned a unique identification number.

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 7 cataloged varieties, Pearson & Bro. was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 880F-4A