AFRICAN-AMERICAN ISSUERS OF CIVIL WAR STORE CARDS

A truly fascinating area of numismatics.is a study of early African-American token issuers. At a time when African-Americans did not have equal rights, were generally mistreated in the North and enslaved in the South, there were a few pioneering black men who issued store cards in the 1860s.

The very first tokens issued in the United States by African-Americans were Civil War tokens. It is arguable as to who the first issuer was, but as I will demonstrate in this article, it was most likely either Charles E. Clark of Cincinnati or McKay & Lapsley of Nashville in 1863.

From the antebellum period until the late 19th century, barbering was primarily a black profession. Also called, "color line barbers", these barbers served only white men and did not allow fellow blacks to patronize their shops for fear of losing their white customers. Barbering was dominated by black men due to an aversion by whites to a trade involving personal service and an attitude by whites that a profession of servitude was appropriate for black men. In fact, every Civil War store card issued by a barber was issued by an African-American.

Barbering was a profession that allowed black men to reach economic levels unachievable in the other limited professions they were allowed to work in. As will be seen in this article, many black barbers became leading citizens in at least the African-American portions of their communities. It is an interesting paradox when considering these barbers had to enforce racial segregation of their own businesses in order to achieve their success.

Many black barbers were actually mulattos, men who had a white father, but were treated as blacks. These men may have had an advantage in that their white fathers freed them and gave them financial assistance in starting their business. The racial classification was not consistent in its usage, so often a person is listed as 'mulatto' in one record and as 'black' or even 'colored' in another record.

It can be safely said that very few 19th century store cards were issued by African-Americans. The following eight merchants, four from Cincinnati and four from Nashville, represent the earliest store cards issued in the United States by African-Americans.

Cincinnati issuers:
Cincinnati, on the northern banks of the Ohio River and directly across the Ohio River from Covington and Newport, Kentucky was a city with many southern sympathizers. In fact, many citizens of northern Kentucky worked in Cincinnati and either travelled across the bridge or took a ferry in to work. Slavery never existed in Ohio, but it existed in Kentucky until ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on December, 18, 1865.

There was a general hostility toward blacks in Cincinnati and mobs of white men were known to terrorize the black community in the 1860s. After Confederate raids and Union losses in Kentucky in 1862, Cincinnati prepared fortifications to defend against a Confederate attack. Among those helping in the defense of the city was the Black Brigade of Cincinnati of which two Civil War token issuing barbers were members.

Nashville issuers:
An important shipping port on the Cumberland River, Nashville was the first confederate capitol to fall when it fell to Union troops in February, 1862. Many escaped slaves, freed blacks, and other citizens migrated to Nashville due to its relative safety under the occupation of federal troops and made Nashville a thriving city during the Civil War. Black citizens helped in the fortification of the city in late 1862 and again in 1864 prior to the Battle of Nashville which was easily won by Union troops.

Despite the occupation of federal troops, slavery was not eliminated by their occupation nor the Emancipation Proclamation that affected only areas under rebel control. Slavery did not officially end in Nashville until early 1865, although its practice was minimal by this time.

For more information on CWTS, see:
www.cwtsociety.com

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