(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-690D-9a, TN

Coin Details

Description

Civil War merchant token bearing the name of McKay & Lapsley, Overstk on OH Token, located in Nashville, Tennessee. 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. This copper striking (Fuld 690D-9a) is common among the known varieties. Like the majority of Civil War store cards, this token is undated, produced during the acute 1862-1864 small change crisis. Token manufacturers struck pieces by the thousands, using hand-fed screw presses capable of producing several hundred tokens per hour. The token era ended when Congress authorized new federal small-denomination currency and criminalized private token production in 1864.

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-9a