(1863) Brass Civil War Store Card F-180A-2b, N.O. Underwood TN

Coin Details

Description

Merchant token from N.O. Underwood of Dedham, Tennessee, cataloged as Fuld 180A-2b. 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. N.O. Underwood issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. This brass striking (Fuld 180A-2b) is common to somewhat scarce among the known varieties. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. Merchant-issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce federal coinage throughout the Northern states between 1862 and 1864. The brass composition gives this token a warm golden tone that contrasts with the reddish-brown of copper strikings. After Congress banned private coinage in 1864, surviving tokens became instant collectibles, with serious collecting beginning within a decade of the war's end.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more available metal variants, though typically less common than copper. With 5 cataloged varieties, N.O. Underwood was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 180A-2b