(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-690D-2a, TN

Coin Details

Description

McKay & Lapsley, Overstk on OH Token, based in Nashville, Tennessee, produced this token as a cent substitute during the wartime coin shortage. Nashville fell to Union forces in February 1862 and served as a critical supply base for the remainder of the war. Merchant tokens from Nashville date to the Union occupation period. The 12 cataloged varieties for McKay & Lapsley, Overstk on OH Token indicate a notable level of token production. Struck in copper, this die combination (Fuld 690D-2a) is common. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Congress banned private token issuance in April 1864, but before that, tokens like this one circulated freely as cent substitutes in Northern commerce.

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, McKay & Lapsley, Overstk on OH Token was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 690D-2a