(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-180A-4a, TN

Coin Details

Description

N.O. Underwood, a Dedham 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. N.O. Underwood issued 5 die varieties, more than most Civil War merchants. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 180A-4a) is common for this merchant. Most Civil War store cards carry no date; this token was struck during the 1862-1864 coin shortage era. 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. Many Civil War tokens survive in high grades because merchants and the public saved them as novelties, resulting in a better average preservation than contemporary federal coins.

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 5 cataloged varieties, N.O. Underwood was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 180A-4a