(No Date) Brass Civil War Store Card F-600F-6b, Stockman & Co. TN

Coin Details

Description

Stockman & 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 17 cataloged varieties for Stockman & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. The brass composition of this variety (Fuld 600F-6b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Many Civil War tokens share common reverse dies, as die sinkers paired merchant-specific obverses with stock patriotic or advertising reverses. Civil War tokens addressed a practical problem: the wartime disappearance of federal small change made daily transactions nearly impossible without private substitutes. Brass strikings are among the more available variants, though less common than copper.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 17 cataloged varieties, Stockman & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 600F-6b