(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-600B-6a, Elliot, Vinson & Co. TN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Elliot, Vinson & Co., a Memphis, Tennessee business. 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. Elliot, Vinson & Co. produced 21 cataloged die varieties, reflecting a substantial token operation. This copper striking (Fuld 600B-6a) is common among the known varieties. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. 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

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 21 cataloged varieties, Elliot, Vinson & Co. was a moderately active token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 600B-6a