Digging through the 50% off box @ the LCS last visit

[Circus]

Found a lot of interesting shaped tokens this visit.

 

[Art1.2]

Those are neat!

[Circus]

[Art1.2]

Like these. That 12.5 cent token is really interesting. Any background info on it?

[Circus]

Haven't started even to look yet, I have seen some from pool halls and saloons that were 12 1/2 cent ones. made a good reason not to give real money back s change. plus they would use it at the establishment for another game of pool/billiards or mug of draft!

[Circus]

Like these. That 12.5 cent token is really interesting. Any background info on it?

Went thru the token catalog .com ran, it 6 different ways no joy with out the city or state it may be a never, neverland token.

 

[Art1.2]

More nice finds.

[Art1.2]

Crescent Weiser token: here's some info I found

 

29mm scalloped aluminum merchant trade token from Crescent T&T, Weiser//good for 12½¢ in trade. Attributed to Weiser, Idaho.

 

http://auction.tokencatalog.com/auction_details.php?auction_id=109304&option=auction_friend

[Circus]

Thanks, I had forgotten about the auction site I have been a member but haven't checked in a while.

[Circus]

[Art1.2]

More nice tokens. You must have one of the nicest token collections around. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing it with us.

[Circus]

Here is a pair from the same place, found at the same time. Doesn't happen very often to me.

[mmarotta]

Thanks for the pictures. I have a few of these myself. I like tokens because they show that anything can be monetized, even (especially!) good will. Just a note, though, to clarify something.

 

Haven't started even to look yet, I have seen some from pool halls and saloons that were 12 1/2 cent ones. made a good reason not to give real money back s change. plus they would use it at the establishment for another game of pool/billiards or mug of draft!

 

It is true that in times and places where coins were scarce, tokens filled the gap. Tokens provide other conveniences, such as letting the seller change the price. Video game parlors are a good example. Tokens might go from four to five to the dollar, or even 3 or 6, without requiring that the machines be reconfigured to accept pennies and nickels.

 

Here and now, bar tokens are mostly good will gestures. If a drink costs $5 and you put down a ten, you do not want five $1 tokens back. But you will accept a $1 token or a free drink token and cash it in later.

 

 

British East India Company silver rupee (shilling)

 

 

Mike M.

[Circus]

What you say may be true today, but back when the older tokens were used it was more of an inducement for the patron to stay and keep drinking at the saloon they were given out at. And For the owner to keep the profit margins up.

[Art1.2]

Nice tokens again. I like that once with the crescent cutout.

[constanius]

Re Weiser token, this might be of interest http://tokencatalog.com/token_record_forms.php?action=DisplayTokenRecord&td_id=1511&inventory_id=1467&attribution_id=111953&td_create_uid=2

 

 

 

Also http://cleo2.tripod.com/weisernews.html related to the owners of the above cigar store & newspaper proprietors.

HISTORY OF THE WEISER NEWS CO.

01/13/03

"I am a collector of Idaho trade tokens and am researching for a book that will catalog them and provide a small historical sketch of the businesses and individuals who used them as part of their operation. If you are not familiar with trade tokens, they were widely used in the first half of the 1900s, but they have been in use (in Idaho) from about 1865 to the present. They were used in lieu of coins - a general store might buy butter and eggs from farmers and pay them either in tokens or at a discount in cash. The farmer would then use the tokens at a later time to buy staple goods from the store. Cigar stores often had a card game going where the tokens were used in gambling instead of poker chips or cash to avoid the laws. Also, good cigars were priced at "two for a quarter" or 15 cents each, so a customer might pay a quarter and get one cigar for now, and a token good for a cigar (or 12 - 1/2 cents) that could be spent later.

[Circus]

I found this one interesting as it has two different styles of dies.

[Art1.2]

Nice. I'm guess the prospect inn token is supposed to resemble a gold pan.

[Circus]

Could be, now that you mention it.

[Circus]

[Art1.2]

Neat!

[ccg]

To add, drinks were also often priced at a bit (12.5c).

 

Something that's often forgotten is that with higher costs of living in the early days of Western North America, coins smaller than 5c were virtually non existent throughout the 19th century, and even the 5c itself didn't really come onboard until the 1870s or 1880s depending on where you were.

 

The concept of 12.5 tokens alleviates the issue of what happens when someone pays for something with a 12.5c price. If you have a reale, then there's no issue. But if you paid with a quarter, you're only going to get a dime back. The cashier / barkeep may remember, and next time be okay with you paying 10c. The idea being that rounding, in the long run, evens out. Of course, some will cheat the system and pay short bits (10c on a 12.5c purchase) more often than long bits (paying 15c on a 10c purchase), and so the tokens provide a way to take any concept of unfairness out of the equation.

 

While they are technically "good-for" tokens rather than "redeemable for" tokens (like some "Condor" tokens), I'm sure any issuer would had gladly given you a dime to take back a 12.5c token of theirs.

 

Aside: Ever wondered why the SF mint didn't strike 1c pieces until 1908? There simply wasn't a demand.

[Art1.2]

To add, drinks were also often priced at a bit (12.5c).

 

Something that's often forgotten is that with higher costs of living in the early days of Western North America, coins smaller than 5c were virtually non existent throughout the 19th century, and even the 5c itself didn't really come onboard until the 1870s or 1880s depending on where you were.

 

The concept of 12.5 tokens alleviates the issue of what happens when someone pays for something with a 12.5c price. If you have a reale, then there's no issue. But if you paid with a quarter, you're only going to get a dime back. The cashier / barkeep may remember, and next time be okay with you paying 10c. The idea being that rounding, in the long run, evens out. Of course, some will cheat the system and pay short bits (10c on a 12.5c purchase) more often than long bits (paying 15c on a 10c purchase), and so the tokens provide a way to take any concept of unfairness out of the equation.

 

While they are technically "good-for" tokens rather than "redeemable for" tokens (like some "Condor" tokens), I'm sure any issuer would had gladly given you a dime to take back a 12.5c token of theirs.

 

Aside: Ever wondered why the SF mint didn't strike 1c pieces until 1908? There simply wasn't a demand.

 

Very good points ccg. I think that in general this information has been lost on all but a small portion of collectors. Thank you for the refresher.

[Circus]

[Art1.2]

Not sure what the Hehman's shape is all about. I was thinking four leaf clover but the lever kind of thing on front looks important. Any ideas. Neat tokens.