(1862) Brass Civil War Sutler Token SCH-MO-19, Maj. Gen. Geo. B. McClellan

Coin Details

Auction Record

$100 AU Details 09-21-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War sutler token issued by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. This brass piece functioned as camp scrip, exchangeable for provisions at the sutler's traveling store. Token honoring Major General George Brinton McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac from November 1861 to November 1862 and the 1864 Democratic presidential candidate. McClellan sutler-classified tokens (Schenkman MO-19) occupy a gray area between sutler tokens and patriotic tokens, using the general's image and name as a commercial or political motif. Struck in brass, the alloy most commonly employed by sutler token manufacturers during the war years. The brass alloy retained die details effectively, and many surviving examples preserve crisp legends and design elements. Dated 1862, produced during the period when federal coin hoarding created severe currency shortages in military camps. Fewer than 6,000 sutler token pieces are estimated to survive across all varieties, a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of patriotic and store card tokens that exist. Military regulations required sutlers to post their prices and submit to oversight by the regimental council of administration, which could revoke a sutler's license for gouging.

Rarity Notes

Schenkman SCH-MO-19. All sutler tokens are rated R-5 or higher on the Fuld rarity scale (fewer than 200 surviving examples of any given variety). Brass strikes are common for sutler tokens. An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 sutler token pieces survive across all varieties.

Cross References

Schenkman SCH-MO-19