(1861-65) Copper Civil War Store Card F-600B-8a, Elliot, Vinson & Co. TN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$720 MS63BN 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of Elliot, Vinson & Co., located in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 600B-8a) is common. Merchants typically ordered tokens from die-sinkers who maintained inventories of patriotic and advertising dies for rapid production. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce. 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-8a