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Hometown Exonumia UPDATED 02/17 Skull Edition
Boosibri
Posts: 11,867 ✭✭✭✭✭
As a very fun and personal side project I have begum collecting pieces from my hometown of Kalamazoo MI which seems to have a rich history in commerce and transportation. My ultimate goal is to loan my collection to the Kalamazoo Public Museum for a display on "Kalamazoo in Commerce"
At the Stacks sale today I was able to pick up a very rare shellcards to add to my collection. While not in perfect condition, so few are extant that you take what you can get!
....and I was able to upgrade a storecard for the collection too!
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Comments
Here is a very rare transportation token used by the first electric street car in town in 1893. Perhaps R8 or R9?
Latin American Collection
Cool collection. That is interesting to be able to assemble a group of historic hometown coins.
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
I have a few from my own home town they made when it celebrated its centennial. Ill have to try to pull one out for a pic! Neat idea!
Awesome pieces. Congrats!
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
I get what you are doing. I have the same problem. Only mine is a tad more expensive since I grew up in Carson City, NV.
bob
Very interesting pieces. Each one tells its own story.
Saw those Kalamazoo pieces and immediately thought of you. Glad you wound up with them. They're very nice!
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Neat tokens and a great idea.... I have never heard of my hometown doing any tokens... and it has been around for over three centuries....Just a small place though, so not surprising. Cheers, RickO
Did Checker ever issue any medals?
Interesting project. I started collecting these from my hometown of Racine Wisconsin, but lost the desire to hunt for them. I was also looking at vintage maps from the period.
One thing you might consider is to try to find a period map of K'zoo as a backdrop for a display. The museum might be able to help. I found one for Racine that showed many of the businesses and landmarks. Here is an example of one I quickly found from 1874 (a little on the late side).
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
that's real cool to see that, I like
I now have all of the appropriate reference materials for all tokens. Send me your hometown and I can check.
Latin American Collection
Cool! I have seen that before as well. I bought the original country maps issued as books from the 1870’s and 1890’s which are cool to help tie the merchant locations to now defunct streets and locations.
Latin American Collection
Very cool little budding collection and always fun to delve back into the history of your hometown. I too have a few random things (trade tokens, transportation tokens, postcards, old maps, and large/small national currency) from my hometown, Pasadena, CA... had to limit myself because it seems also they've been doing some annual parade and football game for practically forever with tons of collectible memorabilia
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Great project.
National Bank Notes?
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
Obsolete currency?
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
Kazoo in the house!
A Chuck E. Cheese token from my home town of Pinole, California (near San Francisco):
Chuck E. Cheese Pinole California 1981 Token
Brass, 25 mm, 5.32 gm
Obverse: Rat's head PIZZA TIME THEATRE / CHUCK E. CHEESE / PINOLE, CA.
Reverse: IN PIZZA WE TRUST / 25c PLAY VALUE / 1981
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
Dozens of new additions to this set but featuring a few here:
R9is Transit Token from the electric street cars which operated in the late 1800's. This token is for a child and is exceedingly rare with perhaps 10 extant. I can find only one other example pictured. The more common adult fair remains scare and likely R7 and pictured above. It doesn't look like much but it is one I have been looking for.
This is actually a shell card and is quite scarce in decent condition. In fact this is the only I have seen with the original silvering on the piece. Per Bowers, several are held in the Kalamazoo College possession but few are in public hands.
This piece is likely from Kalamazoo or at least is linked to the city. Julies E Schelske immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's and set up in Kalamazoo as a machinist in his 20's. He shows up again, now in Ohio, now with a different wife, some 20 years later. I can find no other J.E. Schelske in Ancestry.com's database so I'll go with it.
Lastly, here is a cool find...during the Civil War a new class of monitor ships was commissioned called "The Kalamazoo" class with four ships of the type beginning construction around 1863 and all named for rivers. Well, by 1865 the ships were still under construction in the Brooklyn shipyard and finished in 1868 they were completed but useless for their intended purpose. By 1874 they were torn down. This is the wooden sign from inside the hand-pump station. Found this in an auction house in New Hampshire.
Latin American Collection
Very cool
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
All you need now is a key to the city!
Is that quarter a type I or type II reverse?
Nice stuff...and great write up!
Tough to tell on the reverse as the counter stamp makes seeing the eye difficult
Latin American Collection
Congrats on the new pickups @Boosibri!
I love this collecting theme. Keep it up
B - looks like a lot of good stuff...you might have to start your own museum!!! I second the suggestion to look at adding some National Bank Notes...perhaps a brownback and a type 1 and type 2 as examples...plus I know I've seen many Obsoletes for the Kalamazoo Rail Bank (something like that)...
Very nice collection. > @Zoins said:
Agree. Impressive set.
Really neat finds. Looking at the sign from the ship, I see the faint name "Colossus" above Kalamazoo; the ship was renamed in 1869, and admiral Porter wanted it fitted out like a more conventional ship with broadside guns and masts, but that never happened.
Yes exactly!
Latin American Collection
A couple of theme related picture post cards might add some spice.
What a great collection and idea !
You must have been working on this for some time.......
By the extent of his collection shown here, I would guess he already has.
But still a good idea, and the hometown idea is a really good tie-in that makes a collector feel more connected to those who came before us.
Thank you @Boosibri for sharing your enthusiasm and your finds.
Congratulations. She's a real PIPPEROO!
Love collections like this.
Glad to see the collection progressing, Brian. You're doing a helluva job
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
This piece is from the Henderson-Ames archives, the leading company in military and Templar uniforms from the mid 1800’s until it merged with the MC Lilley company of Ohio in the early 1900’s. Sort of OT but it’s a die so sort of close to numismatics and it is serving as a book end in my coin library.
This piece is a die likely to form skulls on Templar or “Secret Order” uniforms.
It weighs a friggin ton!
Latin American Collection
Nice. Gives new meaning to the word "die."
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
@Boosibri ....Looking at your update (nice additions), I noticed your offer to check for tokens from my locale...sorry I missed it... will PM my town...Cheers, RickO
Hi Ricko, I checked the references that I have but no luck unfortunately.
Latin American Collection
Very cool, I’ve always like the Nights Templar skull & crossbones.
This is a close up of the Denver 25th Triennial
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
@Boosibri ....Thank you for checking....Town is very old (1600's) but very small and in the mountains. A lot of history though. Cheers, RickO
Super cool!
Charles III Album
Charles III Portrait Set
Charles IV Album
Charles IV Portrait Set