(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-600E-6a, TN

Coin Details

Description

Stockman & Co. of Tennessee produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime 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 12 cataloged varieties for Stockman & Co. indicate a notable level of token production. This copper striking (Fuld 600E-6a) is common among the known varieties. No date appears on this token, consistent with the rapid production practices of the 1862-1864 Civil War token boom. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The Fuld catalog documents thousands of distinct die combinations for Civil War store cards, making this one of the most complex series in American numismatics.

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 12 cataloged varieties, Stockman & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 600E-6a