(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-600F-5b, TN

Coin Details

Description

Stockman & Co., a Memphis merchant, issued this Civil War store card during the 1862-1864 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-5b) is common to somewhat scarce for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. The token trade was competitive, with die sinkers in New York, Cincinnati, and other cities vying for merchant orders across the region. Between 1862 and 1864, Northern merchants produced millions of private tokens to compensate for the disappearance of federal coinage. 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 17 cataloged varieties, Stockman & Co. was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 600F-5b