(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-560aA-1b, Gilbert B. Hotchkiss CT

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Gilbert B. Hotchkiss in Connecticut. Connecticut was a major arms manufacturing center, with Colt in Hartford and Winchester in New Haven. Its merchants issued tokens alongside the munitions output. This brass striking (Fuld 560aA-1b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Brass planchets were readily available to die sinkers, making this a relatively accessible metal variant for collectors. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 1 cataloged varieties, Gilbert B. Hotchkiss was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 560aA-1b