(1861-65) Brass Civil War Store Card F-600A-3B, Cossitt Hill & Co. TN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$900 MS62 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Cossitt Hill & Co. of Memphis issued this token as emergency currency during the Civil War coin shortage. Tennessee was divided during the Civil War. Nashville fell to Union forces in 1862, and merchants in Union-controlled areas issued tokens as emergency small change. The 16 cataloged varieties for Cossitt Hill & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. This brass striking (Fuld 600A-3B) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 16 cataloged varieties, Cossitt Hill & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 600A-3B