(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-600A-10b, Cossitt Hill & Co. TN

Coin Details

Auction Record

$528 MS62 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Civil War store card issued by Cossitt Hill & Co. of 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. The 16 cataloged varieties for Cossitt Hill & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. This brass striking (Fuld 600A-10b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. The absence of a date is typical for Civil War tokens produced during the 1862-1864 emergency currency period. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Private tokens entered circulation after the suspension of specie payments in late 1861 drained small change from commerce. Brass was the second most common planchet material after copper, giving tokens a golden appearance.

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-10b