(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-880F-7A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Fuld 880F-7A — store card of Pearson & Bro., Troy, Ohio. 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-7A) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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-7A